Fall of the Equalists
by StokinDembers
Summary: After the embarrassing unmasking of Amon's true identity and his sudden disappearance, his force of Chi Blockers are now divided and helplessly outnumbered by the Metalbending police, leaving Emi, along with many other Equalists, on the run. But what happens when she is captured by the handsome and charming Captain Norio? Can the love of a metalbender possibly heal old wounds? R&R!
1. Surviving

_**Hello readers,  
I am proud to say that this is the very first story put in the Chi Blocker-Metalbender genre! Hopefully, my story here inspires an interest in this extremely juicy avenue for fanfiction LOK writers! The possibilities between the police and Chi Blockers on the run are endless, and so, without further ado... I present to you a story of my own OC characters, placed after the first season finale of LOK! Enjoy! **_

* * *

_**Fall of the Equalists **_

The unavailing of Amon's true identity had done more than show a fraud to the world and prove the Avatar Korra correct in her wild assumptions, but it had slashed the deepest cut of betrayal into our hearts! Us, his faithful followers and fighters. His Chi Blockers, his lackeys, looped along in his spiral of deception. It was nothing short of a complete and total outrage. We had trusted him, pledged our full faith and our undying loyalty to him and that mask! The very man we had served and believed in to lead us in our fight against the injustice of the benders was, in turn, nothing but a power hungry bender himself! He, who had taken many a bender's power away with some mystical ability given to him through some "Spiritual Visitation", had been nothing more than a load of hogwash! He'd been using a technique of blood bending the whole time! If Amon hadn't disappeared without a trace, I would have hunted him down and killed him myself! Nothing short of his death would heal the wound he'd inflicted into the inmost part of my soul. My whole identity, along with plenty of others in our cult, had been wrapped up in this vision, the vision of an equal society under a stable leader. And now, like a rug ripped from under our feet, we were left without any grounding. How I would love to give Amon a couple hard jabs to the face for this unfair turn of events! But that didn't matter now... he was gone... leaving us... his Equalist troops, alone to fend for ourselves in the streets... Divided and scattered we are, hunted by the Metalbending Police Force and chased mercilessly for a fate we cannot escape... Or... could we?

_In the lower slums of Republic City... _

"This is insufferable!"  
The man next to me suddenly hurled questionable mushy content from his bowl into the fire pit we all sat around. There were seven of us in total and we had been forced to part ways with our Equalist uniforms, instead cloaking ourselves in beggar clothes to blend in better with the low life crowd. None of us were in the best of moods right now as was plain on our somber faces.

"Then you can starve Feng. It's what we've been given to eat and we're lucky enough to have gotten anything!" snapped another man across the fire pit. He fancied himself our group leader, for he had been technically higher in rank than the rest of us. However, we already found his leadership methods questionable.  
"Oh shut up Chen! If it weren't for you we wouldn't even be down here!" snapped Feng, speaking my thoughts exactly. I hadn't known Feng long, but it was clear he was a man who thought he knew what was best hands down. Chen glowered at him.

"We're still _alive_ aren't we?" Chen growled.

"This isn't living, this is struggling to survive, and with no end in sight!" Feng argued, "So stop pretending you know what the heck you're doing! We're all lost and uncertain! So I say we part ways. I don't know about all of you, but I'm going to go find a new life for myself. No more of this Chi Blocking nonsense. Amon is gone, probably dead, and we have nothing left to fight for. We lost!" Feng's eyes shifted to all of us slowly. At this point I stood up as well.  
"Yes, we lost, but splitting up won't do us any good right now. There is strength in numbers, and we have far more better chances at alluding the police and fighting them off when confronted if we stick together," I countered passionately. The group fell silent. Chen and Feng looking down at the fire and contemplating this. I took the silence as the opportunity to continue.

"We all have our differences, and I know we are all feeling insecure and betrayed right now, but what better reason than to stay a team, and support one another?"

Another long pause followed, and then, Chen stood.  
"Emi is right," he conceded, "If you won't listen to me, listen to her. We all have our weaknesses, it is wisest to stay close, and be there to back each other when we need it," Chen spoke. For the first time since Amon's unmasking, I felt the impulse to smile. For a week now I had been the only female in the midst of these men and it was nice to finally be useful.  
"If we are staying a group I say we elect a new leader. If the Equalists are defeated then ranks don't matter anymore. Let's take a vote," Feng demanded. Murmurs of agreement started among us and I myself thought it was a reasonable idea. No one did like Chen and it would be harder to stay a team if everyone was constantly questioning his decisions.

"Fine," Chen huffed.  
"Anyone have paper or something to write with?" Feng asked, looking around. We all checked our coats and pant pockets but nothing turned up.  
"Hey! Any of you have a pen or paper?" Feng called over to the set of hobos at a fire pit several yards away. They cocked their heads confusedly as Feng mimicked writing with his hand animatedly. The beggars shrugged.  
"This is pathetic," mumbled another man from our group as he rubbed the side of his face with a dirty palm.

"We can find sticks," Feng said determinedly. Two men got up from the fire pit and collected a few before bringing them back and dispersing them among us. In a few moments everyone had scribbled out which names they wanted to vote for by the fire and the election leaned unmistakably towards Feng. I couldn't blame everyone. He was taking some charge. I for one had done the silly thing and voted for myself. Maybe it was or wasn't wishful thinking. I voted for myself mainly because I didn't want to vote for any of the other men. All of them had their problems and their negative qualities, even Feng. I wasn't about to aid any one of them to becoming our leader. I was surprised to see one other person had also voted for myself, but in the end, Feng was the clearly elected.

"It's settled then," Feng said with a satisfied smile. Yes, he would enjoy being the one in charge. That much I was sure of.  
"What is your first act as leader?" I inquired, folding my hands to look at him.  
"For one, I say that we should establish a proper base were we can dwell successfully," Feng answered certainly, "I'm sick of hanging around out here in the streets with no where proper to rest my head. Maybe we can salvage an old Chi Blocker meeting place and stay there," he shrugged.  
"All of the old Equalist bases I know of have been found out by the authorities within this past week. What makes you think we'll be able to go back to any of them without being caught?" I asked curiously.  
"Yes, they will be crawling with police just waiting for us to return," Chen added in.  
"Well, we can head out tomorrow after some sleep and test that for ourselves. I have a theory that the police won't be expecting us to return to any of the exposed places and therefore, won't bother guarding them," Feng informed. It was an interesting thought. The rest of the group agreed that the idea was worth a try and so after discussing which old Equalist meeting place we would try first, we all retired with what blankets we had been given by the same friendly hobos who had given us our grub, and then settled down to get some sleep.

...

_Within Republic City's Metalbending Police Headquarters... _

The communications room was generally only used by intelligence officers; important police agents that were in charge of keeping or passing along critical information. Occasionally the room was used for the highest superiors in the Metalbending Police force to do their planning but Norio had never before seen it himself until now. He was lucky to even be in here. It had been just the beginning of last year that he'd entered the force as a junior officer. But with hard work, determination, and a supreme sense of justice, Captain Norio had been steadily rising in rank. Now he, one of Chief Saikhan's most trusted men, was standing beside the Chief quietly as the meeting between Captains began.

"As you all know, the search for Amon and Senator Tarlock has been fruitless," Saikhan started, "We've used all our resources to find any leads, and thus far, all it has been is a giant waste of our time and efforts. Therefore, I have taken the initiative to remove our investigators from the case and declare Amon and Tarlock as deceased," Saikhan declared. The Captains stood around silently, no one offering any reason to object.

"From now on, I want all of our special task forces focused on hunting out any Equalists remnants. Plenty of Chi Blockers and other Amon following filth are still free in the streets, some have been found even causing trouble in the slums and daring to continue their stubborn ways all in the name of their departed leader. With Amon gone, his forces are scattered and unorganized. We've had this discussion before I know, but it is of the utmost importance that we stomp them out now, in order to prevent any chance of the Equalists reorganizing ever again," the Chief went on.

"I have a map here Sir, of the areas in Republic city we are currently preforming stationed searches," suddenly spoke one of the captains named Goro. The Chief nodded.  
"Proceed,"  
Captain Goro turned to the big board behind the planning table and pulled the metal sheet forward to show all the marked areas of the city.  
"The red resembles areas we have completely smoked out and have all Equalist threat's neutralized. The yellow are fresh areas we've just begun to infiltrate, and the green are places we have yet to touch," the Goro explained briefly. Norio remained quiet for a while, surveying the map carefully when he suddenly noticed something off.  
"Why are the Chi Blocker's previous hideouts not marked especially?" he ventured to ask, "Do we not have forces specially assigned to keeping watch on these previously Equalist active sites?"  
"Well... Captain Norio, these bases displayed here are cold zones. They've already been sterilized and do not require unnecessary guard. Why would anyone dare to return to buildings that have already been found out and exposed to the public?" he asked challengingly. Norio knew well that Captain Goro was one metalbender not argue with, but there was a serious error in his thinking right now. It was Norio's duty to point it out.

"In my experience with these Equalists, which I understand has not been as extensive as yours, I have none the less come to realize that they are definitely not cowardice in nature. They are resilient and stubborn because they believe with all their inner most being that Benders are evil and that they, the non benders, are treated unfairly. They've already proven how capable they are and despite your certainty in this matter, I for one do not find it so believable to think they will not seize an open door opportunity when they see it. And right now, leaving these '_sterilized_' bases open without watch, is a large open door," Norio argued. As he spoke he saw a few officer's brows lift in consideration, one or two even glanced at each other, as if wondering why they hadn't thought of this before. Norio took a deep breath and continued.

"If I could have your permission Sir," he said, now fully addressing the Chief, "Give me these areas to safe guard, and perhaps I can work out a trapping system that will capture even more unsuspecting Chi Blockers in their desperation to regroup," Norio finished, feeling hopeful and confident that his plan would work.  
"Very well," Cheif Saikhan nodded approvingly, "I find soundness in this plan, therefore I assign you to the task you have requested," he conceded.  
"Thank you Sir," Norio nodded and bowed respectfully in the earthbender fashion then stepped back to let the now clearly annoyed Captain Goro proceed with his reports. Norio noted the disagreeable look on the captain's face, but he ignored it. Norio had gotten the permission he'd wanted, and he was quite satisfied.

* * *

_**And there you are! Leave a comment if I've captured your interest thus far! I update often so check back soon! **_

_**-StokinDembers **_


	2. Ambush

The wood floorboards under my feet creaked as I stepped inside of the dark, shabby, abandoned base. It looked just like I remembered when I'd taken Chi-Blocking classes here less than two years ago except... more empty. It was so strange how much everything had changed... and how quickly. Memories of a time where my future had seemed so much brighter circled around in my mind as I stepped fully inside of what had used to be the old training room. Worn out punching bags, and other left over equipment lay scattered around on the floor, evidence of a struggle if I ever saw one.

"This place is a whole lot creepier than I remember," Chen remarked as we walked in.  
"Shut it," Feng snapped. He'd been growing considerably harsher towards Chen, now that he was the group leader. I was starting to think a good high-five to his face was in order.  
"This place will do just fine," Feng stated, spreading his arms, "Welcome home team!" he declared, "And the best part, no one will suspect!"  
"Uh, they will if you don't keep your voice down," I reminded quickly. Chen smirked.

"Too late..." said an unexpected voice. Our group of seven spun in fright, eyes darting back and forth around the building desperately but none of us could see much in the darkness. However, we didn't have to wait long. Metal lines shot out from the ceiling, stabbing into the wood floors around us in a caging circle. Metalbenders! They slid down their metal cables from the roof top where they had been hiding and the moment their heavy armored feet hit the floor we were effectively surrounded. I instantly slid into a ready stance, not ready to be taken out now or ever. Chen on the other hand was satisfied with taking this moment to blame Feng.

"You idiot! This is all your fault!"  
"My fault!?" Feng barked back.

"Don't worry, there is enough fault in the room to go around," stated one of the metalbenders. He was the captain, and he stepped forward to address our encircled group. I was surprised to see how young and handsome he was. I was used to seeing images of Chief Saikhan around town, and I suppose my idea of captains was that they had to be older to have had enough experience for the rank. This captain was clearly different. His steely green eyes and well defined jaw line probably struck fear into the heart of most criminals who were unfortunate enough to face him. Not me.

"I am Captain Norio of the Metalbending Police and you are all under arrest," he declared with a strong voice and serious expression. My eyes narrowed in determination.  
"That's what you think," I spout back and before the Captain could lift his gauntlet to stop me I had lunged forward and struck him hard in the abdomen with a spinning kick. The impact forced the Captain to stumble back a few feet, his face plastered with a surprised than a glimmer of anger.  
"Very well, you want a fight?" he questioned, tilting his head ever so slightly with a taunting smile. I responded to the taunt by spinning skillfully in a flail of fists and kicks which the Captain blocked and dodged as rapidly as I dished them out. I was uncertain if my skills were enough to match this bender, but right when doubt was about to take hold, It was the next moment that the team took to action and soon the whole room was engulfed in chaos. Each of the metalbenders had their hands full in protecting themselves from being Chi-Blocked to complete numbness, but none the less, we were outnumbered. We wouldn't last long unless we used this opportunity to escape.

I fought like my life depended on it, which in a sense it did. My well adapted muscles were trained so intensely to each movement, to each style of attack, that my brain scarcely was involved throughout the whole match against the Captain. Everything was automatic and I executed each move fluently, making sweeps and jabs with quick precision. Never before had there been a time where I could so keenly feel my body moving in perfect motion. On top of this, adrenaline surged through my veins, flowing extra strength into me just when I needed it. It was an amazing feeling.

On the other hand, while I had had the advantage of surprise by suddenly attacking instead of surrendering in the beginning, the Captain was steadily advancing, putting me on the defensive sooner than I should have liked. My sharp jabs were harmless when it came to trying to Chi-Block the man due to his armor. The only exposed areas were a few places on his arms and those he moved too fast for me to land good hits towards. Also, his metal cables shot out from his gauntlets, twisting out occasionally to wrap around me and only the best of my maneuvers kept myself from being entangled. Deciding it would be in my best interest to start looking to escape, I turned to run, sighting a window that I could smash through. But as I had begun to run, a metal line had wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back abruptly, right towards the Captain's waiting arms.

Close against him was the last place I wanted to be. He was stronger than me and once his arms had a lock around mine, I wouldn't be able to get free very easily. Thinking fast, I threw my legs up and to the side, aiming them strait for the Captain's chest as his cable propelled me towards him. The hard blow sent him reeling back and out of breath, gasping for air to refill his lungs while I landed on my feet. It was at this point I saw Chen and seized the opportunity to run once more. Chen locked eyes with me and we weaved our way through the other fighters as the chaos continued until we we reached the street.

Once outside we didn't stop. We ran all the harder, smacking into a few people, and pushing others out of our way in our flight.

...

Captain Norio took a moment to regain his breath, his sight dizzy and legs feeling a bit weak. When he'd regathered his wits, he realized four of the seven Chi-Blockers were escaping, the female among them.

"Follow them! Quickly!" Norio shouted, storming off on his own two feet into the street. There were too many people crowding the roads however, and instead of trying to muscle through them, Norio lifted his gauntlet and shot out a cable to the tallest building he saw. Bending the metal into the brick wall, Norio sprang, swooping over the heads of the crowds and making his way in a swinging vine style down the block. He could see the remaining Chi-blockers darting through the crowds and narrowing in on one, Norio released the metal cable from the building he was nearest and soared down to plant his feet directly on the man's shoulders, effectively bringing the runner to the ground. Two other officers had followed Norio and were there within the next set of seconds to arrest the toppled man.

"How many is that?" Norio questioned quickly.

"We've arrested four out of seven sir," the officer responded.

"The other three are still running down this road. Take the captured prisoners to the prison and I will pursue the remaining targets long enough to discover where they go and hide. There may be more wherever it is they reconvene. Only once I've found their hide out will I contact the office to request back up," Norio stated, suddenly beginning to metalbend the armor off of his body.

"Sir what are you doing?" One officer asked in shock.

"I will blend into the crowds better without all this," Norio responded hastily, finishing the removal of his captain gear and handing it to one of the officers. Beneath the armor Norio was wearing nothing more than a fine, white shirt and combat pants, which were designed to wear comfortably beneath the metal gear.

"Wait for my call," Norio repeated once more before taking off down the street. His two officers glanced at one another in uncertainty but said nothing. Meanwhile the Equalist Chi-Blocker still face planted on the ground groaned in pain.

Norio had long lost sight of the three remaining runners but he didn't need to see them to know where they went. He could feel the impressions of their feet on the earth, and had been able to read the prints in the soil by removing his shoes. It was an earthbending trick he had invented, and it really helped when tracing somebody through random streets with hundreds of other foot prints around. All you had to do was remember the specific feel of the imprint which the target's foot made and you would be able to recognize it anywhere. Luckily, Norio had made a note to capture the female Chi-Blocker's specific impression before she'd run away. She was the one he now tracked through the streets barefooted.

He walked quickly through the crowds, following the path only seeable to himself, when he realized the tracks were taking him into the more slummy part of town. He'd been in this area before to make arrests or stage coupes, but never by himself, and certainly not without his armor. Never the less, Norio was not an officer to be easily intimidated. Even when the Chi-Blocker's tracks led him down into an entrance to the underground beggar hideout, Norio wasted no time. Of course it made sense for run away Chi-Blockers to hide out down here amidst the poor. No one asked questions down there, and no one wanted any more trouble than they already lived with either.

The Captain didn't much look like a beggar in his white shirt and combat pants, but he didn't exactly have time to change into something more fitting either. He'd take his chances and make the plunge. The tunnel he entered was dark and cool, though not dark enough to the point where one could not see. Natural light shone down from different directions in this underworld village of the poor, and Norio marvaled at it's size. Surprisingly, he and his men rarely had to come down to this place, simply because it was such a peaceful society, where beggar respected beggar, that no real trouble was ever stirred up. Sure, the occasional theif was down there, along with your pickpockets and vandalizers, but nothing too serious.

Several fire pits were scattered around amidst the cultivation of makeshift tent homes, many of which filthily dressed hobos sat around, cooking what food they had or seeking the fire to keep warm. Norio's heart cringed with pity for these people. If only he were the richest man in the world, he could give something to each and every one of these people in suffering, and bring them up from their dirty lives to something more civilized. But all he could do was try to protect them, and keep their streets as clean from crime as possible. And speaking of which, he had a task to do. Shaking his head, the Captain refocused his mind on his mission. The Chi-Blocker's prints were heading off in a certain direction towards one of the fire pits farther off. When Norio strained his eyes, he suddenly caught sight of the girl. She was with two other men, yes, there they were, all sitting downn. Looking about, Norio sought a way to move in closer. Maybe he could manage to hear some of their conversation...

* * *

**_Sorry it is shorter this chapter! _**

**_ I figured this was a good pausing place and that I will continue with the exploding action to come in the next chapter soon anyway! Let me know if I've misspelled or neglected to use the proper use of any grammar! I sought out as much as I could but may have missed a few things. Thanks for taking the time to read, and leave a comment if you will! :) _**

**_-StokinDembers _**


	3. Confrontations

The gloomy beggars cavern seemed even more depressing than the last time now that our group had been reduced from 7 to 3 in a single outing. Life just wasn't fair. Not if you were an Equalist. I sulked by the fire pit, lingering in silence while the verbal battle between Chen and Feng waged on. We were all angry at the turn of events, and we all coped in different ways. Apparently, while I felt best to sit and mope, these two men would rather spend the next hour shouting each other out. I was almost hoping it would come to swings between the two, just to avoid witnessing the painful exchange of loathing words any longer. Finally, I decided I could NOT take it any more and so I stood, staring with steel eyes at the two childish men.

"Arguing never solves anything, action does," I snapped, and then walked off. I didn't expect the two men to follow me, which they didn't, and I was glad of it. I needed to be alone to think, and sort my emotions and my desires out. For the longest time I wanted nothing but justice done to those less fortunate than the typical bending crowd. Ever since I was bullied in my younger days I had developed such a strong resentment towards benders which I had nursed for so long, it would be impossible to let it go now. I had to put my convictions and my talents to good use, but how? It seemed no options were left but to melt away into the colorfulness of society and pretend nothing had ever happened...

"Psst,"  
I froze, wondering if that 'psst' was for me or someone else... I risked glancing around and saw a guy standing over in a shadowy corner where his face was well hidden under a low brimmed hat. My eyes narrowed defensively. I was a smart girl, I knew not to go into the shadows when any strange man beckoned me to.  
"Psst," he said again, motioning me over. I decided to take a few steps his direction but I stayed far enough away that he couldn't reach me if he wanted to.  
"What do you want?" I questioned.  
"You one of 'em Equalist fighters?" he asked.  
"Who wants to know?" I replied, not ready to give anything away to this dirty looking hobo asking prying questions.  
"If ye say ye are, I got sometin' of interest to ya," the man returned easilly, not intimidated by me one bit. My curiosity was indeed peeked.  
"Oh really?"  
"Ye ever 'eard of the Redeemer?" he asked, looking shiftily back and forth as if wanting to make sure no one else was listening in. I shook my head. And he mostioned me closer, apparently wanting to talk in private.

I sighed, contemplating that I could be getting into some danger. Well... if I was, I could take this guy out with a few quick jabs without him even knowing what hit him. Comforting myself with that fact, I strode forward toward the shadows. He moved further down into a little ally way between a few tents and when I came close enough I saw he in fact was not as dirty or grimy as I innitially anticipatead. He was a bit older, and his clothes looked warn but he wasn't by any means as uncivilized as the rest of the people down here. Even I looked worse than he did. Once we were enough out of the main road he continued.

"The Redeemer... is a big guy in de crime world. Claims he's Equalist and runs a whole organization of peoples in black," the man continued, "I been in charge of findin' wayward Equalist fighters and recruiten em to de cause," the man explained.  
"What exactly _is_ his cause?" I questioned suspiciously. This was all sounding interesting, but I was well aware the police were tricky these days. I wouldnt' put it behind them to come up with any twisted plans necessary to trap us remaining Chi-Blockers. But, if this was legit, I couldn't just walk away could I? This all sounded too good to be true... an Equalist who was working to reorganize the Equalist ranks? Was this something I could put my faith in...?  
"Why don't you meet him and find out? Dis is a map of how to reach his hideout," the man said, slipping out a piece of paper which looked like a rather official print of the underground tunnels, with a line leading through the many passages to a specific section which I had never seen or visited before.

I frowned, debating whether ot not this was smart idea.  
"If you don't want to join, no harm done, he's not lookin to trap no one, but if ye really want an audience wid 'im... the password is this: an Equalist searching for Redemption," the man assurde me, but I'd heard lies spoken as easily before. There was no guarantee he was being honest. None the less, I slipped the piece of paper inside my coat and nodded.  
"Thanks," I murmured.  
"Tell your friends, if ye have any: the Redeemer is going to make his move... and soon," and then the man slipped off into the shadows, leaving me to contemplate what I was going to do now. Chen and Feng may be interested if I shared it with them, but if we all went together, and it turned out to be nothing more than another trap, they would all be captured and blame me for it. After a moment to think it over, I annalyzed the map carefully. It was best I go alone. For now...

...

Captain Norio watched from the shadows across the street. The Chi-Blocker gal had stopped to talk with someone from the looks of things. Another Equalist? Norio had half a mind to step out and arrest the both of them right now. However, exposing himself now, meant that if there were more equalists, he couldn't rely on the girl to lead him to them. Perhaps it was better he wait and see who else this Chi-Blocker visited. Then... before he could make up his mind, she was on the move again. What was she planning? She walked with purpose and determination, a signature stride that could only mean trouble.

Taking a deep, but silent breath, Norio moved off after her, careful to keep far enough away in the crowd not to be detected. There were a good many passages down here in this underground district and not all of which had Norio actually investigated before. He had run sting opperations on crime lords down here occasionally but nothing that ever took him extensively through the different hidden tunnels. This place was extremely large, and easy to get lost in. Would his radio signal even reach his police troops from how deep down underground he was? Norio hoped so.

The density of people down in these more ellaborate tunnels was thinning out, making it harder and harder for Norio to stay hidden amidst random citizens. Now, it was to the point where it was only one or two people walking along these tunnels at most... No people to hide behind now. He had to make sure his steps were extra quiet or else it would be all to easy for this woman to realize she was being followed. Up ahead there was a corner she was turning. Norio waited then approached it at a stealthy gate, not looking to fall behind. Pausing a moment at the edge of the wall he strained to listen for her footsteps echoing down the hall as she went. But then, he realized he could hear nothing. Had she stopped? Had he somehow managed to loose her? Panicking, Norio jumped out from behind the wall corner to stare into the empty passage way. He'd lost her!

"Shoot!" he hissed stamping his foot angrily to the ground. Then...

"If you insist.."

A sudden pair of sharp blades came hissing out of the darkness from above. Norio had only to lift his hands quickly, stopping the blades dead in the air and falling flatly to the floor thanks to a bit of metalbending. However, legs came swooping down from the dark ceiling just afterwards, something he hadn't been prepared for, and crashed into his shoulders, knocking him harshly to the ground. Norio felt the air ripped from his lungs and struggled to breathe as the Chi-Blocker woman, far more aware of him than he had thought, squatted to place a hard knee on his chest. Norio gasped and panted at the pressure being applied.

"Nice try, Captain... " she growled, close to his face. Norio winced out a smile as he finally began to get some air into his body.  
"A guy's gotta do his job..." he replied breathily.  
"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave me alone, and stop this stupid chase. Can't a girl try to make a new life for herself?" she questioned angrily.  
"Sure she can... after she's payed for her crimes. Justice must be done," Norio rasped out.  
"You know nothing of justice!" she snapped.  
"Of course I do, justice is my business," Norio retorted. As he kept her talking, Norio focussed on bending the previously fallen bladdes from off the floor. If he could bend them just enough to get one sharp tip against her neck, she'd have to back off.  
"You're delusional!" she barked.  
"Am I? I treat everyone justly according to the law. It doesn't matter who breaks it, be them bender or non bender, everyone is stilll required to follow it. You Equalists rose in rebelion against this city and kidnapped the Avatar! The ultimate peace keeper of our time! If anything, I say it's you people who are deliusuional," Norio grit out.

She was pressing her knee harder into his chest but the blades he was metalbending were now suspended in mid air and hovering behind her head. Very carefully, Norio brought one of the blades to touch against the back of her neck. She felt it, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. After she realized what was happening, she spoke.

"That's low," she glared.

"I do what I gotta do. So, I'd get off of me if I were you," Norio ordered.

Her eyes narrowed rebelliously but slowly, she rose her knee off the Captain's chest and came to a stand. Norio got to his own feet and took several steps back to brush himself off with a satisfied sigh.  
"Now, it would be wise of you to surrender peacefully. I don't want to hurt you," Norio stated calmly.  
"Don't worry, you won't," she said confidently, then lashed out.

Norio barely had time to react. The jabs that struck him were quick and barely hurt, but the effect they had on his muscles was instant. Without armor to protect him, the Chi-Blocker wreaked instant havoc on his body. Norio cursed, only managing to block one or two jabs out of the four that went in rapid succession. As result, he was able to prevent her from managing the final blow, but the nerves in his arms and his legs were temporarily paralyzed, causing him to fall to the floor, unable to bend, barely able to move. The knives that were previously in his control clattered to the floor.

With that, the Chi-Blocker took off at a full run down the hall, leaving the police officer to watch helplessly. Gosh this was humiliating! And yet, at the same time Norio found himself rather impressed and intrigued with this Chi-girl. She was confused, but definitely not evil. She could have killed him when he was helpless, but she hadn't. Norio sighed, focussing on breathing as he lay there, wondering how long it would take before either someone saw him, or he would be able to move again...

...

That had been too close... Gosh, way too close. I could have finished him then and there, but... something in me just didn't want to. It was true what the handsome Captain had said about the police. Truthfully, the Equalists had never held anything against the metalbending force anyway, except for the fact that they took orders from the Republic Council, and that had made them enemies.

I shook my head, trying to flush all thoughts of Captain Norio from my mind. I didn't have to worry about him right now, and it was doubtful he would continue to follow me after that. Unless of course he was really stupid. I continued on my way through the narrow tunnels until I glimpsed two guards dressed in black just up ahead. This was it... This was the place.

"Who are you?" questioned one of the guards, stepping forward and holding a hand up to stop me.

"An Equalist searching for Redemption," I answered, as was the password given to me by the strange man in the alley way.

The two guards dressed in black and wearing unfamiliar masks glanced at each other then nodded to me. The next moment, one turned a valve to a metal door and cranked it open for me to pass through.  
"A new recruit, huh?" the guard asked.  
"Yeah. Any tips?" I asked curiously in return.  
"Yeah, steer clear of any needles. Lab subjects are scarce right now," the guard responded.

My eyes widened slightly as I stepped in, the loud screech of the door slamming shut behind me, sealing my unknown fate... So this was a laboratory? That was... rather creepy. Right now all I could see was a dark passage with stairs up ahead. Another guard was standing in the passage but he made no move to intercept me as I walked past and began climbing the steps. But what awaited me up there? My heart beat thundered in my ears as stair after stair passed under my feet.

* * *

_Hi guys! Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and I have much more action to come so leave a comment, let me know if you're liking this story so far, and I will have the next chapter up soon! _

_-StokinDembers_


	4. The Redeemer

_Don't be a sissy,_

I told myself. Whoever it was I was going to meet up there, wasn't going to hurt me. I was a potential new recruit who they would have no intention of wanting to harm and despite the increasingly disturbing amount of stairs, I had a confident feeling that this place was going to be my new haven of safety.

I reached the top, and to my utter shock, there were people everywhere! People in black, just like the guards, some with masks, some without, were all walking back and forth, carrying various pieces of strange looking equipment. Occasionally, there was a man in a white lab coat, standing around with a clipboard and supervising a particular group of movers and their loads. The room all the action was taking place in looked like a large military hangar. There were disassembled parts of sato-mobiles, biplanes, mechatanks, and satobikes stacked and piled in random places, some looking more damaged than others. It looked like one big giant collection of salvaged machines and weapons. Maybe that's all this place was? A cultivation of Equalist tools and people, doing their best to come together after an embarrassing defeat?

Meanwhile I stood still paralyzed with surprise, mouth partly open like a fish, eyes darting back and forth to capture the scene while my brain struggled to understand it. What was going on here? Was something being built? The man I had met with in the shadows who had told me of this place said that this Redeemer dude was going to make his move soon, but what exactly did that mean? In vain I tried to make guesses at what this "move" was going to be. Another big attack? But if it were an attack coming, wouldn't people be in proper ranks, training and preparing for a fight? And what were all the large pieces of equipment being carried around? I couldn't even begin to make out with the large scraps of metal, tangled wires and odd shapes were going to be used for!

That was when someone noticed me. A man in a white lab coat, who had previously been directing people back and forth had spotted me amidst the bustling and was now approaching with a questioning look on his face. I regathered myself, putting on a dignified expression and stood respectably.

"I haven't seen you around here before," the man stated.  
"No you haven't. I'm a new recruit who requests to be taken to see the Redeemer immediately," I responded quickly. The man's previously confused eyes now blinked in understanding.  
"Ahh... a newbie! Well yes of course you want to see the Redeemer! Right this way!" he said, all at ease and welcoming. My eyes widened slightly, not quite having expected that kind of response, but I found myself relaxing with this man's friendliness as we began to walk.

"He's a rather busy man, with all this going on here, but he never refuses to meet new recruits," the man in the lab coat assured me as he turned, leading me through the warehouse.  
"What is this place exactly?" I couldn't help but ask.  
"Why, what's it look like? An abandoned sato-mobile factory that was destroyed during the Equalist uprising. It was completely smashed in from the top by a downed air ship, and left to smolder, the outside completely in shambles. But what the metalbending police don't know is that it had an underground access. The Redeemer is a smart man and as soon as he discovered this underground warehouse, he began making big plans. Currently, all this equipment you see being carried is building supplies for the parts of the base that are being constructed. Soon, we shall have a surface entrance as well leading into the city. But that will come in time," the man waved the subject away.

"So, who was it that told you of this place exactly?" he inquired.  
"I'm not sure, he didn't give a name. But he had a big hat and looked to be about in his mid forties..." I supposed.  
"Ah! I see, yes, Kyo. One of our many recruiters we have stationed down in slums," the man responded, "And how was it you served under Amon during his leadership?"  
"I was..still am..a Chi-Blocker," I answered.  
"Oh good! The Redeemer will be most pleased. Many Chi-Blockers were the first to be captured and thrown in prison by the metalbenders following the fall of the Equalist takeover. He will be happy to have another gifted fighter on board," the man nodded.

"Despite what you see here.. our numbers are still very few compared to what they used to be. Because of this, the Redeemer can't afford a large attack on the city with a full front like Amon had done. He's taking a different route... But he'll tell you what you need to know, the important thing is that you understand how much we appreciate your loyal services to the Equalist cause," the man in the lab coat assured me and then stopped walking once we'd reached a door on a particular wall of the warehouse. It was ordinary looking, as we had past a few just like it along the way but I noted how above there was a sign that read "Laboratory".  
"So I heard their was a lab here... This Redeemer... he's a science geek?" I asked in confusion, slightly disappointed. I failed to see how any man who leaned over a scope all day and worked with bubbly formulas could possibly be a strong enough leader to take Amon's place. The man in the lab coat next to me just chuckled.  
"You have no idea," Then he knocked.  
"Enter," said a pleasantly deep voice, and the heavy metal door gave a loud click before hissing open.

...

Norio lay there for what felt like an eternity before he began to feel the numbness on his left arm ebbing away. Carefully, he flexed his fingers. His muscles felt tired and strained but their strength was slowly coming back. How long had it been? He wasn't sure... maybe 10-15 minutes? Finally, Norio had the power to roll over from where he had been lying belly down on the floor. No one had seen him and no one had come back for him, so that was good. However, it was just now, as he began to push himself into a sitting position against the nearest wall, that he heard tiny footprints coming from behind him.

Jerking his head in surprise, and tweaking his neck muscles in the process, Norio grimaced when he caught the sight of a small girl walking alone. She looked very little, very skinny and when she saw Norio leaning against the wall, she jumped and gasped.  
"No, no, it's alright," Norio comforted gently, hating to see fear in the eyes of a child. He smiled softly.  
"I'm not mean, I promise," he smiled a bit broader as she seemed slightly more curious and stepped closer after his calm assurance.

Once she was near enough, Norio noted her big, dark eyes and she had short curly red hair! Red hair? How odd. Norio couldn't recall having ever seen a person around here with red hair. In fact, he was pretty sure that people with red hair didn't exist. Yet, here she was! Her face and exposed arms and legs were dirty, suggesting she'd either been rolling around in the dirt, or hadn't had a bath in days. Norio suspected both to be possibilities.

"What are you doing down here by yourself?" Norio asked.  
"I'd ask the same of you Mr. You don't look so good," she responded in a higher pitched, but clearly sassy tone.  
"I know, I got myself into a bit of trouble and I'm taking a breather," Norio admitted, figuring going into detail about why he was here wasn't necessary.  
"I know, I saw," the girl stated after a moment of analyzing him. She'd come closer now, only a few feet away but she was keeping far out of his reach, not that he could have touched her even if he'd wanted. Norio blinked at her comment.

"You saw...?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.  
"Yeah, that girl was one of those Equalists huh?" she asked. For how little she looked, this girl seemed to know quite a lot.  
"Uh, yeah. Yeah she was," he answered.  
"And she did something so you can't move now...?" the girl added curiously. Norio looked to his left arm, and twitched his fingers. That was all he could do with his arms right now.  
"It will wear off," Norio responded, then looked at her, "I should think it's dangerous for a girl like you do be down here alone. Why don't you go find your parents?"

"I've run away from them," she returned quickly with a strangely lighthearted expression.  
"Why?" Norio was still confused and greatly anxious for this little girl.  
"Because I wanted to," the little girl shrugged, now coming closer and plopping down beside him against the wall. Norio blinked. He'd heard that sometimes children would threaten to run away when their parents didn't let them do what they wanted, but he couldn't imagine a child actually going through with it.  
"Running away seems like a pretty silly thing to do," Norio said slowly. She shrugged again.  
"I do it all the time. I always come back though," she responded. Norio blinked again. Okay... she was just a strange little thing.  
"Well, as long as you're here, care to keep me some company until I can move again?" Norio asked curiously.  
"Sure!" she said brightly, "I'll protect you if that lady comes back too!" she promised eagerly. "I'm a firebender," she announced, lighting a flame in her hand in the blink of an eye. Norio's brows rose slightly higher. A red haired firebender... most rare indeed.

"She won't know what's comin!" the girl beamed with a sneaky grin. Norio couldn't help but be amused.  
"Does my new friend have a name I can call her by?" Norio inquired.  
"Misaki," she answered with a smile.  
"And how old are you Misaki?" Norio grinned back.  
"10," she answered sophisticatedly.  
"I'm Norio," he introduced in turn, "I'm an earthbender and a metalbender," he informed.  
"And you still lost to a girl," Misaki snickered. Norio frowned slightly. He didn't appreciate being made fun of.  
"Well she _did_ catch me off guard," he defended, "And I don't like hurting girls,"  
"Too bad, cuz she liked hurting you," Misaki giggled. Norio shook his head in defeat. What a character Misaki was. He couldn't help but smile.  
"Why were you following her anyway? That's where the scary men live," Misaki said suddenly.  
"Scary men?" Norio's face went instantly serious. She nodded.  
"They are dressed in black and wear creepy masks. I heard they call themselves the Redeemers," she stated. Norio was astonished.  
"You spy on these men?" he asked.  
"Sometimes, when I get bored," Misaki answered with another little shrug, "I know where their hideout is too," she added.

"Really?" Norio was all ears, "Mind sharing with me what you know about these Redeemers..?"

...

The Redeemer was nothing like what I had expected, not at all the kind of scientist I had envisioned. He couldn't have been any more opposite from the skinny, four eyed, pale and frail kind of man I had imagined in my mind's eye. The Redeemer was tall, much taller than Amon, and far more broadly built. Even under his big black jacket, his well shaped chest, back and arm muscles were still definable. His face had a pleasant roundness, completely unhidden by any obscurities (which came as a refreshing sight to me) and had handsome eyes with narrow, small lips and shortly buzzed cut black hair. He wore gloves on both big hands and when he turned to face me dead on from the laboratory table he had been standing at, I swear I had never been so intimidated in my life.

His gaze was extremely direct and intense, as if he was locked on target and the way he flexed his gloved fists didn't make me feel any more at ease. He was so much bigger than I, that I felt I was standing before a giant who could squish me with a foot if I gave him so much as a single look that was displeasing.

"Sir," spoke the man in the lab coat beside me, "This is a new recruit. She is a Chi-Blocker and is looking to aid in our Equalist advancements," the man explained to his master. The Redeemer didn't remove his gaze from off of me while his lackey spoke.  
"Name," he demanded in his deep, completely calm voice.  
"Emi," I answered, hoping my anxiety wasn't evident in my tone or appearance.  
"Emi," he repeated the name, as if deciding whether or not he liked it, then he did the most unexpected thing and smiled. It was a warm, inviting smile, that looked slightly unnatural for a man of his size and build. He proceeded to speak with me.

"I am honored that you would decide to return to the tireless efforts of the Equalists and our quest, despite the bleak circumstances. However, if you are to join this particular operation of mine, there are a few things you must know first," he began.

I nodded, folding my hands respectably behind my back, ready to listen.

"I believe in equality just as Amon, our former leader, but though I admired his bold attempt at taking Republic City by brute force, I had my doubts of its success. In the end, I suppose my doubts were proven correct. None the less, I believe there is an opportunity to rise from this failure stronger and wiser. Of course, this time around, our tactics will be much different than those of Amon's, but none the less as powerful. If you are to become a part of this fight for Equalist redemption, you have to prove your worth to me and to every advocate here, for there is no room for failure this time around. I have a plan being put into motion as we speak that will initiate a chain of events most promising. However, for everything to go smoothly, I need my soldiers' full, unquestioning cooperation. Do I make myself clear?" The Redeemer questioned. His tone was still pleasant, but I could tell there was a bit of warning in his eyes as he stared at me.

So far, everything he had said, I was in agreement with. I had no qualms about his methods, so long as justice for the non-benders was given.

"Yes Sir," I responded without hesitation.

The Redeemer's smile returned and he nodded then looked to the man in the lab coat beside me.  
"Bingwen, jave her placed and put to work. I expect good things from her," he stated, then turned back to the lab table, his attention reverting back to his previous business.

Apparently, we were dismissed. The man in the lab coat, who I now knew as Bingwen, nodded.  
"Certainly Sir,"

He then ushered me out of the door, closing it behind us.  
"Placement test?" I inquired curiously as we stepped out into the busy halls. He nodded.  
"All new recruits start with a placement test. Should your Chi-Blocker skills prove to be genuinely exceptional, you have great potential to possibly become one of the Redeemer's personal Elite Redemption Squads, who specialize in running top priority, undercover missions for him when needed. If not, you will be placed in a class more fitting of your talents and work from there," he explained cheerfully. In the next moment, a serious shadow fell across his face.

"But remember one thing very clearly, " he said, warningly, "Once you are with us, you cannot be against us. Those who choose to betray the Redeemer after he's offered his supplies, time and hospitality will not be tolerated and will be punished... So, are you ready to begin?" he asked. I took a deep breath.

"Definitely,"

* * *

_Hi guys! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and that you are liking the new characters I'm bringing in! Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! :) _

_-StokinDembers _


	5. Concerns

A booted foot flew to my face but my arm went up to block, shoving the foot and its momentum away to effectively put its owner in a defensive posture. It was time for me to advance.

I closed the distance with a spinning kick, one that I rarely preformed because of its difficulty, but wanted to show now, in front of the test judges and all the onlookers watching as I fought inside a practice ring.

I could only hope I didn't mess it up.

My opponent fancied himself a Chi-Blocker but thus far he'd only been using basic training moves. Where was the more advanced attacks? Maybe he was holding back, waiting for the opportune moment? Soaring into the air and spinning, my heel went strait for its target, but in the next moment, it was batted away. My balance was for a split second off, but I recovered and waisted no time in continuing my advance with fast jabs and punches.

The spectators looked on in dead silence, not a word or a grunt out of them. In the back of my mind I wondered if I was doing well in their eyes, or if my moves seemed too amateur. In my own fear of being misplaced and my potential over looked, I sped up my attacks and hammered them harder and harder, landing hits occasionally and drawing confidence from each contact I made. But my opponent was harsh as well.

He was wicked fast.

I could tell by the way he tried to disguise it by holding himself back a fraction of a second before each strike. I didn't like that he was going easy on me. If I was to impress anybody, this would have to go all out. Deciding to amp my ferociousness up a notch, I put everything I had into the next set of maneuvers, forcing my opponent to have to react quicker and block harsher. I could take him! I knew I could! Then, like a torrent or a tornado suddenly being unleashed, my opponent moved so quickly I could not even begin to guess what to block next. I felt a strike to my face, effectively splitting a cut on my cheek, followed by a breath stealing impact to my gut.

Before I knew what was going on, I was flying back through the air and hurling to the floor. I must have smacked the back of my head on the landing because after that darkness took me.

When I woke up I was on the ground, staring up at a few peoples' faces. They all swam and moved dizzyingly before me and the fact that they were trying to say something to me didn't help matters. I had a headache and each attempt at understanding what they were saying only made my head throb worse. Finally, my brain caught up with me and the room stopped swiming. Shortly after I realized it was only one person standing over me, not many.

"Hey, you alright kid? Good.. that's it wake up. There we are! Welcome back!" a fuzzy man in a white coat greeted me, "You did good Emi! I think you have some real potential for sure. Although, you are a slight bit reckless. You knew your opponent was faster than you and yet you called him out. Not wise. Not wise at all. Especially against Viper," he snorted. After I blinked a couple times, the blood returning to my vision, I now was recognizing the man speaking to me was Bingwen. He stood over me, shining an intense flashlight right in my eyes. I blinked rapidily, blinded by the light before he took it away, deeming me okay.

"He was too fast..." I breathed out, "Unnaturally fast," I groaned as Bingwen helped me into a sitting position, "I thought I could take him but that was... He was just like a blu! I've never seen anything like that in my life," I said in pure astonishment. Not to mention my pride was completely shattered. The men around who had been watching the fight were dispersing now, but I could hear the loud chatter and the laughs in the background and it fueled my anger.

When I looked directly across the room, there my opponent stood alone with folded arms, the customary black mask still on his face. Bingwen followed my line of sight then said,

"You'll learn to keep your distance with Viper. He's dangerous, and now he's your new team leader. Welcome to the Redemption Squad," he congratulated with a grin, patting me on the back, "The judges deemed you good material,"

I was partly happy, but partly still furious. This _Viper_, who had absolutely creamed me like I'd never been creamed before, I would now have to serve under as a soldier. I couldn't help but feel that this dude had cheated somehow and had intentionally humiliated me in front of everyone! I decided then and there that I did not like Viper, at ALL. I was glaring at him from across the room, and his masked face was staring me straight on, provokingly. I had half the mind to get up and storm over to demand his secret right then and there but my lab coat friend had me by the arm.  
"I'll show you to where your room is so you can shower and eat," Bingwen stated, guiding me away. I glanced over my shoulder as I left, and Viper was still watching me. There was something unnatural about his manner. The movements and speed he'd exhibited were almost predatorial, like an animal. Something wasn't right about him and I was determined to find out what it was...

As my lab coat friend and I walked back through the halls a thought occured to me.  
"I have friends who will want to know about this place," I said, "When am I allowed to go out and find them?" I inquired as we came to a room. I was sure to memorize exactly where it was for future preference through the many halls and work rooms of the warehouse.  
"The Redeemer is going to make his move soon, and after he does, you won't need to find your friends. Soon, our cause will be made public, and every Equalist supporter will know exactly where to come if they are interested in supporting us," Bingwen answered me.  
"And what about all the non-Equalist supporters? Sounds like they will know exactly where to come looking for us too..." I pointed out.  
"Don't worry, the Redeemer has it all planned. He's quite clever with the plots. You'll come to grow a definite trust and respect towards that brilliant mind of his," Bingwen promised. I shrugged; that was good enough for me.

"You shall meet your Redemption Squad team mates tomorrow morning. There will be a knock at your door and after that you will be led to the Redemption Squad's personal debriefing room. It is there you will recieve your first assignment," Bingwen finished, "Sleep well," he added then left me alone to open my bedroom door.

When I entered the room it was small, but it had everything I needed: a closet, bed with pillow and blankets as well as a dresser. There were no windows so it felt slightly cramped, and the light bulb above wasn't very strong, leaving the room rather dim, but I couldn't complain. I had my own room now, off the streets and without the need to run any longer. Here I was finally safe.

...

It had taken a while before the affects of Captain Norio's chi being blocked finally wore off. Despite the fact that his muscles had come around, they were still weary and tired. When Norio stood up, the little girl Misaki helped to steady him to his feet. The time they had spent together was extremely beneficial to the Captain, for he now had the evidence of what seemed like the rising of a new rebellion to take up where the Equalist's had left off. Whether everything Misaki had told him was exactly true or not didn't matter. The thing that did was realizing that he, along with the rest of his police had to be fully open to the many possible plans for their prey to think up. Setting up traps at old abandoned Equalist gathering houses was just one tiny step. With this new force in black calling itself the "Redeemers", Norio couldn't help but get the eerie feeling that something had been building right under their nose and was now ready to strike far sooner than any of them could imagine. Regardless to say, this was news the metalbending police force had to know asap.

"I need to get to the surface," Norio told Misaki as she held his arm and they walked slowly down the tunnels.  
"That's a long walk," Misaki responded. She was right, it had taken him at least an hour to get where he was now, and that was when he'd been in good shape.  
"Maybe we can get some help..." Norio considered, remembering his radio and pulling it out of his waist sash. Pressing the button he spoke into the receiver.  
"Alpha Base, this is Captain Norio reporting. Do you read me?"  
When he took his finger off the button the radio's feed back was nothing but loud static. He tried again. Still nothing. Norio would have cursed had he not remembered a child was holding his hand.  
"Looks like I won't be getting help after all," Norio said gently, then looked down softly at her, "Do you know of any place near by that I can stay for just one night?"  
"Mmm hmm," she nodded, pointing a certain direction, "There are a few abandoned houses down this street that no one has visited in a long time. Sometimes I play in them," she said, leading him along. Norio followed willingly.  
"A roof over my head is better than nothing..."

The place was the dirtiest dilapidated, disgusting shack he'd ever seen and from the outside, and the inside was only worse. Cobwebs, dust, ratbats, splintered and moldy floor boards were just a few of the horrors Norio now faced.

"I take it back, I'll sleep outside," Norio said, turning to go out. He had been bred with high standards for living space and though he had slept in many difficult places on stake outs without a problem, this was intolerable. There wasn't a spot on the floor he could lay that wasn't infested with either wet mold, insects or rodents.  
"People will see you if you sleep outside! And no offense but you don't exactly fit the hobo role Mr. Fancy Pants and White T-shirt," Misaki argued with hands on hips.  
"This place is so rank not even spirits would bother inhabiting it!" Norio retorted. Misaki went into a fit of laughter. It only took one moment for Norio to figure out those were not ordinary laughs of amusement, but mocking ones!  
"It's just for one night you big baby!" she teased through giggles.

Norio sighed, slumping his shoulders. This was now the second time he found himself being humiliated by the ten year old today.  
"I will only sleep here if you go back home to your parents tonight," Norio suggested, figuring Misaki would be stubborn and say no, then he wouldn't have to stay in this ugly shack. However...  
"Deal! Then I'll come find you in the morning! Night, sleep tight!" Misaki said, rushing away for the door and closing it in Norio's face when he tried to protest in shock.  
"Don't let the bed bugs bite..." she cooed hauntingly, still mocking him through the slits in the door. Norio rolled his eyes and put a hand up to run through his hair. He stood there for a long moment in silence, then he heard the sound of tiny teeth gnawing on wood.

"Great..." he murmured, not looking forward to the torturous night of sleep he was about to endure. At this point, he'd wished he'd just made an earth tent outside on the streets somewhere. However, benders down here in this slum world were not very common and surely if someone did happen to see his earth tent, news would spread around quickly, including to any possible enemies seeking to exact revenge on any unsuspecting benders... In the end, Norio decided staying in this infested hut was his best option, and so, begrudgingly, he sought a place to lie down and fall asleep.

When he deemed a set of floor boards finally worthy, Norio knelt down, ignoring the loud creaks of the protesting wood and took a deep breath. His thoughts strayed back to the fight he'd had with the Chi-Blocking gal. Her style had practically been flawless. He would need some major practice if he wanted to best her next time they met, especially without his armor.

...

_Back at the metalbending police headquarters... _

"What is taking Captain Norio so long?" Chief Saikhan questioned, drumming his fingers on his desk. Two police officers standing before him both looked uncertain.  
"Perhaps we should send out a search party to find him. He told us he'd contact us just before he went into the crowd without his armor," an officer responded, "I think it is likely he would have contacted us by now..."  
"It could very well be that he is in great danger and is in need of assistance," added the other.  
"Oh please, you men have little faith in your Captain," suddenly interrupted Captain Goro as he walked into the room. It had been a private meeting between the two officers and their Chief, but Goro was famous for interrupting meetings of all types.

"If he hasn't contacted you yet, it is for a good reason," he assured them with a relaxing smile.  
"And when, may I ask, did _you_ develop this sudden faith in Norio?" one of the officer's snapped back. Norio's men were all well aware that Goro had always despised their captain for how he had risen so quickly in rank with very little experience.  
"It is only common sense to think he is on the trail of something important if he has been gone so long," Goro shrugged.  
"Or he could be dead," snapped one of the officers.

"I'm not willing to believe that," Saikhan interrupted now, "Not yet. Give him till noon tomorrow. If he doesn't contact you or show by then, we will investigate," the Chief commanded. Both officers nodded and left the room without another word. Goro stood confidently, hands on hips as they left. Only when the door behind them closed did the Chief speak.

"What do you want Goro?" Saikhan asked in mild annoyance.  
"Well Chief, I just wanted you to know that you can cancel those "child missing" posters I wanted put up," he said, "Got a call from the wife, and my little girl came home about an hour or so ago," Goro explained.  
"Good to hear it," the Chief nodded.  
"That's the third time this week too... She can be such a handful," Goro sighed and shook his head, "Anyway I'm clocking out. Goodnight Chief,"  
"Goodnight," Saikhan watched as Goro left the room, closing the door behind him. In the silence of his office, the Chief's mind wandered back to Norio. He sure did hope that young man knew what he was doing...

* * *

**_Hi readers! _**

**_Sorry it's been so long between chapters! I have been doing my best to pull this story line together and think hard about all its components before just writing what comes to me and posting it right away. Anyway, please please please COMMENT and let me know if you think it's going well and coming together nicely or not! And I know there isn't much romance in it yet, but don't worry! It's coming SOONER than you think! :) _**

**_-Stokin D Embers _**


	6. Entrapped

The knock came the next morning, just as Bingwen told me it would and when it did I readily answered. I had easily enough found my new black uniform and was fully suited, prepared for action by the time I opened the door. Outside in the hall was another Redeemer, suited just like me. We nodded to acknowledge one another but other than that no words were exchanged as he led me through the halls.

When we arrived at the debriefing room, it looked very similar to the rooms we had used as Equalists under Amon. Perhaps the Redeemer wanted his followers to feel the same sense of comfortable familiarity under his leadership as it had been under Amon. But I had a hunch the Redeemer was far different from our previous leader. Only time would really tell if that was a good thing or not.

There were no chairs in the room, only a large rug where the other members of the Redemption Squad were sitting cross legged and all facing a large map of the nations stretched on a canvas to the wall. I and my guide found empty spots and sat down like the others waiting in silence. No one spoke or moved. Briefly, it reminded me of how I had once received missions with the other Chi-Blockers of my same squad. Who knew where they all were now? In jail? Dead? I shuttered. Then, the door opened and in stepped the Redeemer himself.

He was dressed in his same black coat, thick black gloves on his hands and his hair combed back neatly. I still couldn't picture him as a scientist.

"Good morning," he greeted pleasantly though there was no smile on his face.  
"Today's mission is especially important, I must say. A lot of work has been leading up to this final step. I need not stress its cruciality, so I'll get right to the fun part," he stated, motioning behind us that a few of his helpers step forward. They carried a platform of hidden, chunky items, covered under a white sheet. When the Redeemer removed the white cloth, I blinked.

Beneath was a metal sphere with stilts to keep it upright and several components. It wasn't huge... easy enough to transport between two people But its purpose I could not make out. Confusion between my new squad members was mutual. The Redeemer beamed with pride then spoke.  
"This my friends, is a bomb. A mixture of chemicals and powders that make a very loud BOOM and create a lot of damage. Thus far, no one in the world has created anything quite like it so that should ensure us full cooperation from the surface. You see, I'd rather not have to use these bombs to harm anybody," he paused a long moment, seeming to admire this bomb once more before continuing.

"This bomb has six others just like it, and they each are programed to activate with the click of a button from their remotes," he explained, "remotes which I will hold and decide when or if they should be pressed after you have reported back to me that they've been securely positioned. Now, here are the locations in which they must be planted..."

The Redeemer turned to the board and it was then I noticed the Redemption Squad Leader, Viper, was standing in the corner by the canvas. When had he come in? Had he been there the whole time? Gosh that dude was creepy... I was going to keep my eye on that one. When the Redeemer finished showing us the locations on the map, he explained that all of us would be splitting up in groups of four and from there we would do our jobs. When the briefing ended, each and every one of us stood, saluted the Redeemer and turned to the prep room next door to begin arming ourselves properly with our delicate cargo.

...

Norio had barely time to wake before he heard the door creaking open and the sound of little footsteps. Blinking rapidly to clear his morning vision, Norio sat strait up to perceive Misaki walking towards him.  
"Well good morning!" she greeted brightly.  
"Morning," Norio smiled, amazed that she was up so early. Wait, what time was it?  
"What time is it?" he asked curiously.  
"8:30," she responded. Wow, that was late for him.

"How was your sleep? Any ratbats bite you?" Misaki inquired. Norio shuttered at the thought.  
"No but I woke up in the night with one of them sitting on my thigh," Norio replied, not pleased with that memory. The ten year old just giggled.  
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Norio questioned, the thought just now occuring to him.  
"Well that's where mom thinks I am yeah, but it's just my cover. I'm too cool for school," Misaki answered. Norio sighed and shook his head.  
"You shouldn't be down here, come on, I'll escort you out," he said, now standing and brushing off his clothes to walk with her out the door and into the streets. His full strength had returned to him finally, and with it, a hunger that made his stomach rumble. But food could wait until he got to the surface streets and delivered his information to Chief Saikhan.

They walked along, joining the main streets of the regular under street crowds. The market carts were open and people were buying food, cooking food, and bartering for food. Everything was peaceful. Now that he thought about it, Norio didn't blame Equalists for running down here to escape. Over all, it wasn't a horrible place to stay. People were mostly very nice down here, and that meant a lot in a society where greed and selfishness usually ran wild.

They were nearing the exit now and day light was pouring in brightly. Norio felt a sense of relief wash over him as they made their way towards the clear exit of the refugee tunnel network. Pleasantly, Norio began easy conversation.  
"So, Misaki, what do your parents do? Is your mom normally at home?" Norio inquired as they walked.  
"Usually, she likes to garden. She'll spend all day in our backyard if she could, and my dad, well he's gone most of the days. He's a-"

Norio stopped her suddenly with a hand he placed before her, halting in his tracks. He could feel the ground... something was... shaking it... like ripples. What... was going on? Then, suddenly, the whole floor shook roughly and the sound of a loud explosion racketed inside his ears. Subconciously, Norio grabbed Misaki to protect her as screams errupted all around the shelters. Norio looked desperately about to see what was going on. This wasn't a normal earthquake... something had exploded... but what? What was happening? Then, up ahead, he saw it. The entrance to the cavern, it was collapsing!

Not only that but the ceiling far above was raining debrees of all sizes, ranging from small pebbles, to head sized rocks. One large piece of rock falling was crashing down quickly towards the floor, right down towards someone's hut. Instantly, Norio took his earthbender stance and reached out with his bending to halt the heavy rock dead in the air, redirecting it to land somewhere else safely. Miskai stuck close in fright, looking about frantically when the rumbling from above finally stopped and the ground ceased shaking.

"Norio we're trapped!" she shouted, percieving the collapsed in entrance. Norio stared in disbelief. What had done this? Who had done this!? Shouts of panic and fright began echoing all throughout the cavern as more and more people awoke to this realization. Norio, narrowing his eyes, took up another earthbending stance. Whatever had caused this landslide wouldn't suceed in trapping them. Feeling the earth beneath his feet Norio closed his eyes and concentrated. He would bend the barricade away. He knew he could.

"It's them!" Misaki gasped, grabbing Norio's shirt and pointing. His eyes snapped open and he looked the direction she indicated. That was when he saw them. Fighters in black. There were four of them and while they had previously been off in the shadows, he now saw two of them setting up radio gear. Two of them spotted him. One was a female... Norio knew that figure, he could read her weight and build with his bare feet, recognizing her instantly.

"You! What have you done!?" he shouted. What was she and this group up to? From where the female stood farther off, she took a ready stance but did not yet advance because it was the next moment that a loud voice boomed through the radio set that had been assembled.

"Dear people, do not fear!" addressed a male voice in which Norio had never heard before, "This is but a temporary situation!" boomed the voice.

_Well _that_ was_ _reassuring_!

"However," the smooth voice continued, "if any one of you, above or below, should so much as approach the wall within 100 feet, or make any attempts at removing the barricade, we have placed well positioned bombs all throughout the tunnel networks. The remote to these bombs is currently in my hand. Need I say more...?" he let that linger a moment.

_Gathered within the Metalbending police force station..._

Chief Saikhan stood with a grim expression on his face, the radio issuing forth the same unfamiliar male voice. All throughout the police network radio stations the same speech was being played, from the sato-mobile cars, to the police offices and officer radios scattered all about Republic City. No one uttered a word as they listened. This sudden turn of events had been totally random, leaving the metalbending police completely off guard. The explosion of the tunnel passes all throughout the city had happened simultaneously, leaving them no time to act. And then this voice had spoken. Somehow this crook had hacked into their radio lines. The Chief stood silently, hands clasped behind his back and holding his breath as the voice proceeded once more...

"I am only begging of your patience for the time span of 5 days, approximately 120 hours. Until then, no one inside is to go out, and no one outside is to come in. Thank you for your cooperation, I assure you, things will be back to normal before long,"

And with that, the voice cut out, leaving all the listening officers in a daze.

Everyone was still frozen, all eyes within the communications office now turning to stare up at their Chief. Saikhan was unmoving, his mind clearly ticking away with numerous thoughts. Then, like a switch had been flipped, he spun and pointed a hand out at the nearest man.

"Lieutenant, I want every officer and police-mobile on the streets to head to each of the tunnel entrances and begin setting up crowd control barriers. I want those entrances guarded 24-7. Absolutely no one is to pass. Leave a good 100 feet as instructed. Once completed wait for my further commands," Saikhan ordered in a steady but rushed tone. The lieutenant saluted and spun off to do as directed. Soon the communications office was buzzing with activity, the Chief spouting off commands left and right.

_Meanwhile_,

Norio was standing in shock. Why would these "Redeemers" do this? What was their motif? What was the point of blocking off the exits and entrances and keeping these people trapped down here for a mere 5 days? Norio's mind was in a whirl but he was brought back to life when he felt Misaki tug on his arm. Looking down quickly at the little girl he saw her frightened, uncertain face.

Norio craned his neck back around to glare at the people in black that were beginning to disassemble the radio speaker equipment. The female was still watching him, not having moved from her last position but having relaxed from her defensive posture somewhat. Norio let out a long breath and gently removed Misaki's hands from clinging to his shirt.

"Stay here a moment," he said gently, then stepped away from her, looking to approach the female as peacefully as possible. He wanted more information and these Redeemers were here now. He wasn't going to wait and loose them again, or try to trace them to their hide out only to be found and possibly killed. No, he'd approach them now while out in the open before so many who were as confused as he was.  
"What's this all about?!" he demanded, his voice loud and harsh as he marched forward.

...

I could see he wasn't exactly looking for a fight, probably just answers, but as soon as he was within striking distance, I didn't hesitate to snap out a fist and pop him a hard one to his jaw. He staggered back at the hit, touching his face in shock and more fury. I smiled under my mask. He deserved it. This unarmored, annoyingly persistent metalbending officer was beginning to grade on my patience. While I wasn't looking to kill him, simply because I had some regard for his passion and skill, I definitely wasn't going to talk civil with him after how much of an inconvenience he'd been to the Equalist cause, as well as myself. However... it seemed I'd made a mistake with that punch.

This young captain's eyes were now alight with such fury that I felt a chill run down my spine. The next thing I new, the ground beneath me had shifted up so quickly it made my knees buckle, and I was propelling high into the air, launching at least 15 feet up only to fall a long ways and hit the floor harshly several yards away. It felt like I'd crashed into a wall.

My whole body was instantly made weak and I gasped, not having expected such a vicious action to take place. Now I was just trying to breath, all air having left me. My lungs felt like they'd been smashed in. I couldn't defend myself, but luckily, that was the good thing about having a team. The Redemption Squad moved to action against the earthbender, flying forward to attack with sudden, precise movements, operating in unison against this stubborn enemy who wouldn't seem to take a hint. It was three against one, I being out of the equation for now while trying to recover, but I was certain this Captain Norio wouldn't last long against the Redemption Squad. At least... I didn't think...

From where I was lying on the floor, the sight was rather hazy, and still spinning slightly, but I could make out that my team wasn't doing too well. Norio was bending the ground beneath them as if it were as alive as waves of water. The Redemption fighters hardly stood a chance as the ground beneath their feet shifted powerfully beneath them, tripping them all up nearly at the same time, only to feel the earth capture them on the down fall, wrapping around their bodies and imprisoning them instantly to the ground. I blinked, staring in awe and sudden fright as Norio now turned back to look at me. I was only just beginning to regain my breath and when he began to approach, I struggled to prop myself up on an elbow.

Norio squatted down beside me, a stoic and hard looking in his eyes. My heart beat was racing, but I was too weak to make a very good attempt at further retaliation. Still, I would try. With a groan of effort, I made a weak swing of my arm to try and hit him, but here merely caught my wrist in his grip. I was panting now, suddenly scared. Thus far, he'd gone easy on me, but something about his expression now told me he wasn't planning on it any longer.

He leaned closer and with a rough, low tone growled...  
"Tell me what... is going on... or I'll leave you in far worse shape than your friends," he threatened in my ear. I coughed, wishing for my strength to return faster than it was. I knew I couldn't beat him and so I simply stared up defiantly into his eyes. The least I could do was not talk.

"I'll ask again," Norio bellowed, "_what_... is going on?"

That was when I heard it. The small fast _**whip**_ of something flying speedily through the air. Norio barked out a cry of pain and went down, falling to the floor beside me, completely out within the next second. Behind him, where my line of sight had previously been blocked, now stood Viper.

Greeeat... _that_ guy.

One of my team members must have sent out a distress call which had summoned our leader from wherever he had been. Viper held in his gloved hands a sort of gun which had been aimed directly at Norio. Casually, he lowered it, and put the gun into his coat, beginning to come forward calmly. He'd saved me... from probably a lot of pain, but that didn't mean I thought any better of him. He was still a stiff, silent jerk as far as I was concerned. However, when he came before me and offered his hand I briefly wondered if he was trying to make up for any past offenses. I hesitated, then decided not to buy into it. I stood up by myself, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he'd even saved me.

"Did you kill him?" I questioned, straitening my suit and brushing myself off.  
He responded with a slow, shake of the head. It was then the Redeemer's voice issued from the radio placed on Viper's belt.  
"I gave Viper what I call a sedative gun. The earthbender will be out for a little while. I want him alive so bring him to me," he commanded. Viper had just begun to kneel down and shove Norio over to be picked up when we both heard an angry, high-pitched scream. Spinning I saw it was the little red head girl. She was racing towards us and her hands were alight with bright blue flames! A firebender.

I had seen her before, standing by Norio, but I hadn't suspected her to take any action. She seemed quite mad and raging, but I knew the little thing stood no chance. She raced forward angrily towards Viper, swiping her hot fists back and forth but she was reckless and without any proper schooling of technique. Viper evaded her wild swings easily with a side step and in turn grabbed one of her arms in a single swift movement to swing her about and effectively arrest both of her hands. He easily lifted her tiny, gangly body fully off the ground.

"Let me go! Let me go! You hurt my friend! Let me go you monsters!" she shouted, wiggling back and forth desperately and kicking her feet about ferociously. Viper simply held her out, treating the child carefully and with some amusement. I could tell, even behind that creepy mask of his, that the child's attempted attack had somewhat entertained him.

"What was that?" the Redeemer's voice questioned from the radio.  
"A firebending girl, sir. She is friends with the earthbender," I answered, having taken the radio and spoken for Viper as his hands were a bit full. The girl was still kicking and screaming "let me go!" over and over again.  
"Easy child," the Redeemer reprimanded over the radio, softly but sternly, "Your friend is just fine. Settle down now... you are coming with him," he stated matter-of-factly. I blinked, wondering what the Redeemer would do with a child on his hands in the middle of a rebellion. As if knowing my thoughts, the Redeemer continued.

"She will be of good use to me,"

Viper held the child out for me to grab hold of, then helped me to secure her arms behind her back. Maybe the Redeemer planned on keeping the child for some sort of ransom? I wasn't left wondering.

"A rather fortunate streak of luck this is. It just so happens I am in need of new test subjects for my latest stage of my lab experiments..." the Redeemer commented.

* * *

_**Wow... intense huh? Please review and let me know if you are liking the story as I go along. I appreciate those of you who have read this far and look forward to entertaining you these next few chapters as well! **_

_**-StokinDembers **_


	7. Lab Subjects

When Captain Norio awoke, he found himself on his side, lying against wooden floor boards. His back was stiff and so were his arms, but he pushed himself to sit up off the floor with a groan. One glance around told him that he was trapped within a sturdy wooden cell. Where was he? What had happened to him? What was _going_ to happen to him? Where was Misaki? Was she safe? Questions spun about in his mind when suddenly he noticed he wasn't alone in the room. A guard, dressed in black, back facing him, was standing right in front of the wooden cell door about a foot or so away. A closer look and Norio could tell right away this guard was female. It was _her_...

Norio sighed, running a hand through his hair tiredly. What had he gotten himself into? Well, at least he had company. Maybe she would talk. He glanced up at her, eyes running down the full length of her body for any visible weapons. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice she had a nice figure. He hadn't really planned on hurting her back there. She'd just made him angrier than he'd anticipated getting, which resulted in summersaulting her through the air a couple yards. He supposed she was probably even more disgusted with him now, and probably even holding a large grudge. What did one say to a girl that hated you? Norio cleared his throat.

"Hey... sorry about that back there... I hadn't intended to really hurt you. You doing alright?" Norio asked. She didn't move, nor answer. Of course not. Still, Norio wasn't about to give up. He stood to his feet and walked up just behind her at the cell door.  
"Normally, I'm not that bad with ladies," he confessed, "But I guess I just haven't ever met one quite like you before,"

Again, no movement, or sound. Not even the slightest snort, which Norio was half way expecting. He continued.  
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to flirt my way out of this place. I'm not stupid, I just want you to know I _am_ sorry if I hurt you. As an officer that's the last thing I want to do to any one, no matter how confused or insecure they are..."

"I'm not confused," she snapped, turning her head ever so slightly towards her shoulder. Ah... there she was.

So he _had_ hit a nerve.

"Or insecure!" she added defiantly, "And don't bother trying to pretend like I hold _any_ of your sympathy. You're a bender, and you'll never know what it's like to be a non-bender, nor will you ever _really_ have any respect for us. You think us beneath you, and you mock me with every word that comes from your lips," she hissed.

Norio was rather surprised and hurt that she was so persistent in believing none of what he said was true.

"Look, I told you before, I in no way think you beneath me. Heck! You whipped my butt a couple times during our last encounters! I have nothing but respect for your talents! And bravery? Well... one would have to be brave to stand up in rebellion against the government, not to mention the avatar. I get that you are passionate about your beliefs and that you'll do anything to make them reality, but I'm telling you, earnestly, your beliefs are wrong..."  
"Not another word," she snapped, "I won't listen to you,"

"You say that we as benders look down on you because you are non benders, but you as non benders look down at **US** because we _are_ benders! Your psychology about this whole issue between non-benders and benders... it wouldn't even be real if you stopped trying your hardest to make it so!" Norio persisted passionately.  
"Sure, there might be some benders that don't appreciate non-benders the way they should... but not everyone is the same. Just as there are non-benders who don't appreciate benders the way _they_ should. For example... if I were standing here.. and you didn't know I was a bender... I might even have the chance of gaining your good favor... " Norio paused then continued, "But because you know _what_ I am, you allow that to form your opinion of me, instead of letting _who_ I am form that opinion,"

She now turned, swiftly and quite unexpectedly. Her mask had been on the whole time but she now yanked it off, so he could see the furious glare she was fixing him with. Norio hesitated under her intense gaze, but continued, though more cautiously.

"Are you afraid of who I might be? Are you afraid that I might turn out to be a better person than you want to believe?" Norio asked softly, "And if you did find that out? Then what? What would you think then about your precious beliefs?"

Maybe he'd gone too far. Maybe she was fed up with him, or maybe she was scared that what he was saying was true, but either way, her arm shot into the cell between the few wood bars and her hand snatched Norio's shirt by the collar, pulling him harshly forward towards her and into the door between them.

"Listen you-!" she began angrily, ready to give him the word lashing of his life, but that was when footsteps began echoing down the set of stairs which led into this cell room. She quickly released his shirt collar and returned to her position, back to the cell door, and replacing her mask hastily right before the owner of those footsteps entered the room.

...

I was relieved to have let go of the cocky captain soon enough, because it was the Redeemer himself who had entered the room. He wouldn't have been very pleased with me if he'd seen me doing everything he'd ordered me not to do. Following the Redeemer, was Bingwen and then Viper after him, who was holding the little girl with wooden cuffs classped around her wrists. Norio's face turned instantly pale when he saw his little friend, and he clutched the wooden bars, his knuckles turning white.

"Misaki!" he said, his voice incredibly worried. I stood back away from the cell as the Redeemer approached to stare at Norio in a miner show of sympathy.  
"Don't worry, your little friend has not been harmed," the Redeemer assured the captain.  
"Why should I believe _anything_ you say? You have me stuck in a cell!" Norio barked back in retaliation. I couldn't help but smile. Norio had guts to talk to the Redeemer that way. The Redeemer however only looked amused.

"You have a point," he agreed, nodding to the young captain with a smile, "I suppose I should correct myself. She has not been harmed... _yet_..."

Norio was glaring at the Redeemer now, his eyes flickering between the man and his young friend. It was clear he cared for the child deeply. Was she a sister perhaps? I couldn't see any resemblence. She had bright red, curly hair, with freckles, while he had short, black hair, and smooth skin. _Very_ smooth looking skin. And bright, deep... mysterious eyes. Wait... _what_? UG! Snap out of it! I mentally berated myself, shaking my head. I was glad when the Redeemer continued speaking.

"Of course, her safety depends on your cooperation," the Redeemer spoke on, now unclapsing his hands from behind his back and reaching inside his coat to pull out a syringe. Norio watched the Redeemer in uncertainty.  
"What do you want?" the captain asked.

Misaki was wrestling with the guards still, yanking back and forth, trying to get out of their grip with saucy attitude.

"Well, by now, you might have guessed I am no simple minded man. I am called the Redeemer. These are my Equalist followers," he said, spreading his hands to gesture to the guards around him. "With our previous shepherd presumed deceased, the sheep needed a new leader to flock to, so here I am. However, my methods and goals are perhaps slightly different then Amon's," The Redeemer explained, using his hands for emphasis while he spoke.  
"Amon strove for equality by acquitting benders of their natural genes. But me? Well... the way I see it... why eliminate that powerful gene when one can just as easily reproduce it...?" the Redeemer smiled, "How much simpler would the world be if anyone could choose to be a bender?"

I was stricken. THAT was his plan?! Turn everyone into benders? But we _hated_ them! We didn't want **MORE** of them, we wanted them _gone_! Suddenly I was beginning to feel the familiar sense of betrayal brew once again within my heart. If I had known this was the Redeemer's plan from the start, I might not have ever joined. I couldn't believe it! I was struggling to keep still and not speak in outrage. Norio however, was just as appalled as I was.

"What? You can't be serious," Norio challenged, frowning doubtfully, "That's impossible,"  
"Oh, it's quite possible... It took me a while to get the formula just right," the Redeemer admitted, "The experimentation stage took longer than I had expected. Discovering how to integrate different genes together without dyer consequences was quite the process. I started with the practice of meshing human genes with those of animals, seeking to succeed in merging different kinds of DNA. Viper here, was my most willing lab subject," he stated, gesturing back to the Redemption Squad Captain and motioning the masked man forward.

After a moment, Viper did as directed and stepped forward to remove his mask. I stared in shock. Misaki screamed and Norio gaped. Viper's facial skin was tinted slightly with what appeared to be snake scales! His eye pupils were even unnaturally slitted! It was possible that once he had appeared a handsome man in his mid thirties. Now, he just looked like a freak of nature. And Viper knew it. The expression on his face once the mask was off mirrored that of a little boy who'd just been stripped of all his clothes and now stood naked. I couldn't blame him. If I had a face like that, I'd want to keep a mask on too...

The Redeemer smiled proudly at Viper, no sign of shame or disgust existed in his manner toward the loyal soldier.  
"The affects on his appearance perhaps weren't the most pleasant," the Redeemer admitted, "but the upgrades to his agility and speed far out weigh any regrets he might have,"

It all made sense to me now... his freaky speed that I couldn't fathom before... I knew it had been unnatural but I would have never guessed it was because of something like this. I was staring at Viper with new detest. The Redeemer continued.

"Through the testing done on him, I succeeded in documenting all I needed to make the perfect formula. Now... I am free to proceed in my testing stages for the merging of _bender_ genes. This is where you come in," the Redeemer now pointed towards Norio. "I need a fresh blood sample and you will give it. I've already taken one from your little friend here. Her firebending abilities are quite powerful for her age. So are yours I've heard. Cooperate and she won't be killed..." The Redeemer threatened.

Viper had a hand on the young girl's shoulder and though Misaki was glaring defiantly, there was a glimmer of fear at the mention of being killed. Bingweng now stepped forward, taking the offered syringe from the Redeemer's hand and then unlocking Norio's cell door. Norio was looking a bit nervous but with one glance towards Misaki's scared little face, he had made his decision. I could tell he wasn't going to let any harm come to her.

"Only if you let her go. You have what you want from her... so set her free," Norio demanded. The Redeemer was still... then finally gave one slow nod. I watched as Bingweng took Norio's blood sample without any trouble.

Meanwhile, my mind still swirled with uncertainty at all the new information which the Redeemer had divulged earlier about his true plans. There was nothing I could do to back out of this crazy plot, considering I had made a life serving pledge, which if I broke, the penalty would be death... And I had no doubt the Redeemers would find me... one way or another. I had to keep my head low for now, or else risk getting myself into trouble.

After the blood sample was taken and Norio was once again locked within the confines of his wooden cell, the Redeemer took the syringe and nodded thankfully towards the metalbender.

"I thank you for your contribution good captain. I assure you... it won't be wasted," he promised. Bingweng and Viper then turned away to head for the cell room's exit, shuffling Misaki along before them.

"No Norio! I want to be with you!" she shouted. Norio's face was painted in tender concern and he gripped the wooden bars.  
"It's alright Misaki... Go find your parents, I'll see you again soon," he promised softly, though I knew he was only lying to her. There was no way he was breaking out of here, and I doubted he was going to be freed any time soon.

Misaki was shoved along by Viper when she hesitated and soon disappeared out of the room. The Redeemer followed lastly, looking at me.  
"Continue guarding this cell until I send someone to relieve you," he ordered. I nodded respectfully, and then he too left.

Silence fell around me.

I stood perfectly still for a while, just watching as Norio leaned his head against the wooden bars and closed his eyes. Clearly he was deliberating everything he had heard and despairing in the realization of all the odds against him. I suppose I should have felt satisfied to see he who had been speaking so boldly to me before, not to mention making me insanely angry, now crumbling under fear and helplessness. But I wasn't. In fact, I felt a slight stir of pity. I was all too familiar with experiencing the crushing weight of impending doom. But I refrained from speaking a single word.

A half hour passed in silence and already my legs were growing weary from standing still. Norio hadn't moved either. Then... quite randomly, there started a sudden earth tremor. The ground shook softly at first, causing the wood planks that made up the cell and the floor to begin creaking ever so slightly. I thought perhaps it wouldn't last much longer, with how little of a quake it was... but to my astonishment, the shaking grew harder... and harder...

And _harder_...

* * *

**Whoa... what's goin' on...? Come back and find out! Thanks for reading and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment if you enjoyed this... If you did not enjoy this, then it's just as well you don't write anything. lol But seriously, please comment! I want to improve and can't do that if I don't get your feedback! **

**-StokinDembers **


	8. Amnesia

_**Hello readers!  
So sorry it's been a while since I've updated! Been busy with other stories (as is my general excuse unfortunately...) but I believe I have finally figured out how to manage all of them, so here is this next chapter and I again apologize for the large gap in my updates! Enjoy! **_

* * *

The ground rattled with such intensity I found myself wobbling towards the nearest wall to lean against it for balance. I couldn't remember the last time an earthquake this big or long had taken place and all I could do was brace myself and hope the building around us would hold strong. Amidst the shaking and quaking around me, I managed to send a glance towards the prisoner's way. He was kneeling in the center of his cell and not moving, or freaking out, which I thought was rather odd. Then it occurred to me... He was an earthbender! This quake was his doing!

"Stop!" I shouted at him, "Stop right now!" I commanded. But, naturally, he did not listen. The earth quake became stronger until suddenly his wooden cell was cracking around him and the boards splintered in half.

"Captain Norio! Stop!" I called again, this time desperately. I couldn't loose him! This was my first prisoner I'd been asked to guard and if I lost him now, I would never be trusted again! As an after thought, my attention was quickly diverted when I heard a loud _**CRACK**_ just above me.

Looking up amidst the shaking, I percieved that the wooden beams above me were creaking, threatening to collapse. I screamed in panick as one of the supports suddenly fell from the cieling, and crashed right beside me. The wooden boards on the floor were splitting in half, and with horror, I realized that the Captain was now on his feet, bending the dirt below to surge up between the cracks. He directed the earth into a large spiral which burst with immense power into the cieling above, puncturing a gaping hole in the cieling above. Next, Norio directed his feet so that the soil beneath him, launched him upwards towards the exit he'd just created.

"No!" I cried. As I watched in rage while he made his esecape, I failed to notice that another wooden beam had now fallen from above, and before I knew it, weight smashed down ontop of me... and then blackness.

...

Norio was half way to the exit he had just successfuly manipulated when he heard the female guard's cry of terror. He looked down just in time to see wooden rubble fall from the cieling to crome crashing on top of her. Guilt gripped his heart. He couldn't just leave her there! Whatever her faults and misunderstandings, Norio knew that the police officer inside him, would never sit well with leaving a lady in peril. With all his concentration, the Captain focussed on ceasing the earth quake until he successfully calmed the earth to a mellow rattle and then nothing...

Only then did he lower himself, landing on his feet with a hard thud.

He began shoving wood beams out of his way, ducking and jumping around in the destroyed cell room. It wouldn't be long before more guards arrived down here to check on him, and he wanted to be _long_ gone by then.

Getting to the female guard was harder than he thought, but finally he reached the section of fallen beams and saw just how lucky she'd been. The beams had fallen in a perfect upside down V and while the impact of them coming down no doubt had knocked her hard in the head, if the bleeding was anything to go by, the beams had not fallen completely down to smash her beneath them. There was still a chance she was alive. She was lying unconsciously between the beams as they braced propped up against each other above her. Norio moved quickly and scooted down to grab her by the wrists and pull her out. He ducked down to put his ear by her mouth and listen for breathing. It took a moment, but finally he heard the steady rhythm of air going in and out of her lungs. So she was alive. _Thank goodness. _

Once he'd picked her light weight body up into his arms and thrown her over his shoulder did he bend the loose dirt around him into a propelling elevator which surged him back up to the split ceiling. He was free, just as more Equalist guards began to stumble their way into the destroyed cell holding area. They had no power to stop him, and Norio couldn't have been more relieved. It was as he looked up from the scene below, that he embraced what was around him. Why, this was a facility that was a fully operational labratory, on the surface, right out in the middle of some of the most popular Republic City streets! And no one even noticed!

Norio wasn't quite sure why he'd never been susipcious about that particular lab before, but it could have been because they kept such a normal cover that no one noticed anything out of the ordinary. First thing's first: he would find a hospital, put the girl in, then call in his metalbending police force and spend the next several hours telling them all he knew. When the female Equalist was feeling better, he could question her for the information he did not yet have.

Coming to a sliding stop with the dirt shifting like a wave of sand below his feet, Norio landed safely on the road with the limp equalist still on his shoulder. Turning to the neareast startled pedestrian, he asked where the closest hospital was located, and traveled the direction given to him. Norio stayed inside the hospital long enough to make sure that the woman would be watched at all times by a nurse, and not allowed to escape. He was mostly convinced that she was to recover from her injuries, so he left feeling slightly better. Afterwards, Norio jogged through the streets, trying his radio, and pleasantly surprised that it once again was working.

"This is Captain Norio to headquarters, over," he said into the mic.  
"Captain Norio, is that _really_ you?" responded a startled voice on the other end.  
"Yes it's me!" Norio barked back, "I'm heading to headquarters now, have the Chief and other Captains called together for an emergency meeting!"  
"Right away Captain," the voice responded complacently.

...

When I awoke... the first thing that registered to me was that I had the largest most painful headache. In fact, my whole body felt a bit sore. I opened my eyes, carefully, having blink and adjust them to the light before I took in the sight of the ceiling above me. It was white... Was I dead? I didn't think you could have headache's in the afterlife...

Slowly, so as to not upset my pounding head even more, I turned my neck to get a better look around me. There was a chair, a window, which was wide open, a sink, a cart full of towels, and pictures of the body anatomy hanging on the wall. I was in a hospital... Great. I groaned and made myself sit up, though each of my muscles screamed in protest. What had happened to get me here? I was having the hardest time remembering. Then the door opened and a beautiful lady dressed in nurse apparel strode in.

"Oh good, you're awake," she said with a bright smile, "how do you feel?"  
"Where am I?" I asked, not hesitating to get right down to business. I was anxious to find out why and how I had gotten here.  
"You're in Republic City's Caretree Hospital," she answered. I tried to stand now, but she rushed over and stopped me.

"Oh no, I wouldn't just yet. You had a massive hit to the skull and the bleeding was quite extensive. You need to take it easy and stay right where you are," she told me. A hit to the head? Why didn't I remember that? In fact... what could I remember last? I searched my brain, trying to concentrate on anything other than the annoyingly persistent thuds of pain that spiked in my head. However, I could come up with nothing... it was like someone had replaced my mind with a fresh sheet of paper... a big blank one.

"How is the head?" the nurse inquired.  
"It... hurts," I replied, "I...I can't remember anything either. I don't even know how I got here," I admitted, anxiety building inside my chest.  
"Oh... amnesia..." the nurse said, "I thought this may happen. Don't worry, this is a common case. Your memory should return to you in full," she assured me. That provided some relief at least.

"How long will it take?" I inquired.  
"It depends on the individual. It could be as quick as a couple days to a few months," the nurse explained. At that I frowned in dispair. Not having my memory for months did not sound fun. How was I supposed to continue on with my life if I couldn't even remember what it was like?!  
"I will phone the young man who brought you here. He asked that I contact him as soon as you woke up," the nurse informed, walking to the sink to run hot water and dip a towel into it.  
"A young man?" I asked nervously.  
"Yes, he was very kind. Norio was his name," she answered.

The name did not even come close to ringing any bells. I continued to frown in despair.

"Don't worry, he was _very_ handsome... From the way he treated you, asking for you to be watched 24-7 and to be phoned as soon as you awoke, I'd say you meant a good deal to him. Although, I didn't ask him exactly who he was to you at the time," the nurse said.

I lifted a hand to my head and sat there silently. A handsome young man named Norio, that's what she had said. A husband perhaps? No I wasn't wearing a ring. Okay, brother? Boyfriend? Cousin? Family friend? I hated not knowing!

"He'll be down shortly after I call, so I'm sure he can give you all the information you're longing to hear about the accident," the nurse assured kindly, coming over with the warm towel and now removing a bandage, I hadn't realized I had on, to lay the towel on my forehead.  
"You just recline right there and I'll be back as soon as Norio has arrived," said the nurse, now leaving the hospital room.

I lay there in silence for a long while, my head swimming with questions and uncertainties. The next time the door opened, I removed the towel from my face to see the nurse.  
"Here he is dear," she announced, stepping sideways to let in a tall, handsome young man with dark eyes, dark hair, and who was dressed in some sort of police gear. His expression seemed worried and he approached cautiously. He cleared his throat.

"How... do you feel?" he asked softly.  
"My head hurts something fierce, and my body feels like it's been run into by a train," I replied, "What the hell happened to me?"  
He grimaced.  
"She is suffering from amnesia," the nurse informed the young man, "She can't recall much, but her memory shall return in time. Still, I would give her a little information at a time to keep her from being too overwhelmed," the nurse adviced. Norio's face shifted to one of complete and utter shock.

"You said... Amnesia?" He asked again.  
"Yes," the nurse nodded. Norio's expression did not change from that same shocked look. Finally he approached me and squatted down by the bed.  
"Do you remember me at all?" he asked. I stared at him up and down, honestly trying to congur up some sense of familiarity, but nothing came.  
"No... nothing," I answered somberly. His brows rose.  
"Well... I wasn't expecting this," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Do you at least remember your name? Your age? Anything?"  
I bit my lip and attempted delving into my memory's holding compartments once more. A name, came to me instantly.  
"Emi," I said quickly, relief washing over me. I remembered something!

"I don't know my last name, or my age... but my first name is Emi," I declared, "And who are you?" I now asked. Norio's mouth opened and froze.  
"My name is Captain Norio, and...I'm the one who rescued you," he answered finally.  
"So you're a police officer?" I asked.  
"Yes,"  
"What did you rescue me from?" I inquired next.  
"It's a very long story," he laughed nervously, before turning to the nurse. "When can she come out of the hospital?" he asked.  
"She should spend one night here, at the very least, just so we can keep an eye on her and make sure no other side-affects occure," the nurse answered. Norio pressed his lips tightly together but nodded. He brought his eyes back to me and took a breath.

"There is a lot that I will be telling you, but not here. For now, all you need to know was that you had gotten yourself into a bad situation, and I got you out. Since I have no idea who you are, and if you have family around, I will be watching over you until your memory returns," he promised, "I will come back to pick you up tomorrow afternoon,"  
Norio stood up and took one last long look at me. I felt upset that he was leaving, since he was the only one who knew at least a little about myself that I did not, but he was a police officer, and probably had other work to attend to.

"Alright..." I said as he backed for the door.  
"Report to me if she starts remembering anything else," he told the nurse, then, he was gone. I stared at the door way where he had left and sighed. The nurse smiled at me.  
"I told you he was handsome,"

...

**_Location_**: Chief Saikhan's office

"What do you mean _amnesia_?!"  
Cheif Saikhan had worked himself into a tizzy and was now rising from his chair to lean forward on the desk.  
Norio closed his eyes in exasperation.  
"I mean... the hit to her head has caused her to have some temporary memory loss," he explained, "We can't get anything out of her until she starts remembering again,"

"I...I can't believe this!" Saikhan blared, slapping his hand down on the desk before lifting it up to run through his hair.  
"We are in the middle of a major crises... Attempting to deal with a mad man trying to replicate the bender gene for his own devices, and imprisoning thousands of low-life citizens under the city tunnels by threat of these... bombs, all just to make sure that no one interferes, as your report specified, and now the only person in our hands with inside information as to what this Redeemer's next move will be, is suffering from _**memory**_ loss!?" he whaled. Clearly, the Chief was in no state of mind to deal with any more bad news.

"_Temporary_... memory loss," Norio reminded, "For all we know she could be completely better in a couple of days," he encouraged. Saikhan stared at Norio with a hard pair of eyes.  
"We cannot afford any more mishaps, with the situation being what it is... You better make sure that girl makes a full recovery..." he said, "Everything weighs on what she knows... and we can't prepare any moves until we have some idea as to what to expect next," the chief stated.  
"Yes sir, I'm aware. I will keep Emi under my own roof for the time being, and I'll hire one of the best known water bending healers in the district. I'm sure something can be done," Norio assured his chief hopefully.  
"Good. You're dismissed, Captain," the chief stated, shooing Norio away.

Norio turned and left the office, closing the door behind him with a sigh. Why did things always have to be so darn complicated?

* * *

_**Hehehehe... what'd ya think of that? Please review! I so long to know what you think! Review review review! There won't be another chapter up soon if you don't review!**_


	9. Questions

I didn't like hospital food. After a day and a half of eating it, that's one thing I knew for sure about myself. When I wasn't eating, I was thinking about Norio. He had too handsome of a face and too kind of a nature for me not to think about him! He claimed he had just found me in trouble and brought me here, but the uncertain twinkle in his eye said differently. I had a hunch we knew each other before that... and he just wasn't telling me. But why? Maybe he didn't want to rush things on me, and felt giving me information slowly was best? Either way, I was going to find out more today.

The nurse said that he was coming for me soon and so all I had to do was sit and wait. She gave me a magazine to keep me busy, and checked my head again, just to make certain my cut was healing well.

"Well honey, I'm glad to say the damage looks a lot better and I have all hopes that you will be back to normal again soon," the nurse said sweetly. I flipped through the magazine carelessly, not really caring about its contents about the latest popular singers, actresses, or news about the councilmen. However, if some this information might help unlock some of my memory, I'd read it. I didn't get far though when a knock sounded at the door.

I shot forward to sit up right away. The nurse just smiled at me.  
"Come in," she beckoned.

Norio entered a bit timidly but smiled when he saw me. I smiled shyly back.

"Hey... how are you today?" he asked curiously, closing the door behind him and walking forward.  
"I'm better," I admitted, "Though I still don't remember anything,"  
"That's alright. It'll all come back," he assured me, "Are you ready to go?"  
"I don't really have anything with me, so I guess so," I replied.  
"I beg to differ, you are in hospital clothes right now and you didn't come here that way," the nurse objected, moving towards the closet to pull out a folded pair of black clothes along with a belt and boots.

"I washed them for you. You can use the bathroom to change," the nurse offered. I stood up from the bed, feeling a little silly for not having thought about that before, and took the clothes gratefully before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Once inside I gave the clothes a once over. I didn't recognize any of it... though I didn't dislike my attire. I stripped down and re-dressed, giving myself an uncertain glance in the mirror. These clothes appeared to be like a uniform. Somewhere I worked maybe? Was I a cop too? No.. this didn't look like a police suit... I cocked my head, trying to figure it out, but in the end gave up. With a sigh I went for the door. I guess these clothes were a part of me... though I didn't feel very confident in them.

...

Norio grit his teeth, clenching his jaw uncertainly while Emi was in the bathroom. Would her uniform cause her to remember anything? Would she come out with memory refreshed and fighting? Or would she be more confused then ever? No doubt she would have more than enough questions in which she would bombard him with. He signed the papers the nurse held out to him, acknowledging Emi's release and that she had someone watching over her. When the bathroom door came open again, Norio swallowed. He had to be prepared for anything...

She emerged, the same innocent, confused look on her face that Norio had seen when he came to visit her yesterday.  
"Is this some sort of uniform from where I work?" she inquired. Norio nodded.  
"Yeah," he answered, "Do you know where you work?" he inquired. She shook her head.  
"I... still can't remember," she admitted, an almost scared look flitting through her brown eyes. Norio didn't like to see her frightened and so he smiled softly, hoping to reassure her.  
"That's alright. I signed for your release, so let's go," he said, motioning her towoards himself and the room exit. Emi stepped forward and followed him all the way out of the hospital.

Outside, parked on the side of the street, was a convertible Satomobile. Emi blinked. Norio walked up and opened the passenger side door.

"This is mine," he said, gesturing her to get in. He wasn't certain, but he thought he saw Emi get a bit excited as she strode forward to seat herself inside. His satomobile wasn't as fancy as a few of the others around town, but he liked it, and felt a bit of pride as Emi stared in awe at the interior of the vehicle.

"I suppose you don't recall if you've ever been in one before," he remarked, coming around to the driver's side and getting in.  
"I'm pretty sure if I had, I would remember," Emi replied with a bright smile. Norio decided he liked her smile, and wouldn't mind seeing more of it. It was far better than the scowls and glares he was used to getting from her.  
"So... where are we going?" Emi asked once he'd started up the car.  
"I know somebody who specializes in the healing of the body who I believe can help you get your memories back. But, she's a waterbender," he said, very cautiously, watching her intently for some sort of negative reaction. But he did not get one. In fact, all Emi did was shrug.

"O-kay?"  
Norio was shocked. He was certain with a past of hard feelings and prejudices against any kind of benders that surely something would spark her remembrance. But there was nothing!

"So... why don't we go there first? Then afterwards I'll bring you to my apartment and we can talk about what you do, or don't remember," Norio proposed, now thinking it safe to continue.  
"Sounds good," Emi said, crossing her legs and leaning back in the car seat comfortably, looking around the streets with a content smile on her face. Norio marveled at this changed girl. No, he corrected himself: woman. She looked young, but she had to be over eighteen. It didn't help that she didn't remember her age, but the nurse was certain she was about nineteen or twenty. And she was beautiful...

_When she's not trying to kill me! _Norio reminded himself.

As soon as her memories were restored he would be dealing with a hardened Chi-blocker who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. And that's how he had to look at her now, regardless of how sweet and innocent she appeared presently.

He drove the satomobile through the streets and towards the section of Republic City where all the specialists had their business offices. Norio had been down here many times before to investigate and question on certain police cases, and that was how he'd met Takara Rin. She was a waterbending genious with outstanding healing techniques and had been victim of a near kidnapping about a year ago. They'd never found out who the culprit had been, but the attempts had stopped within a matter of days after having a couple metalbending police stationed on hand for that period of time.

After Norio parked the car and helped Emi out like the gentleman he was, the pair walked into Takara's office and met with the secretary that sat at the welcoming desk.  
"She is currently in the middle of an appointment, but if you care to sit for a while, I will inform her of your arrival Captain Norio," the secretary offered kindly.  
"Thank you," he responded, now turning to guide Emi to the waiting room.

He let her take a seat first and then sat in the chair beside her. A couple of magazines were on a small table to the side and so Emi picked one up and began looking through it curiously. Norio glanced over at the page she was reading.  
"That's Councilman Tenzin. He's one of the world's last airbenders," Norio informed, pointing to the man in the photo she was staring at. "He's the third child of Avatar Aang and the only one to have inherited his airbending,"  
Emi nodded, understanding.

Norio wasn't certain how much she could recollect of her own past, but she seemed to know a healthy amount of knowledge about some of world history and the objects around her. She remembered what benders were and she recalled what the different abilities were, so that was helpful.  
"Are you a bender?" Emi asked him suddenly now. Norio smiled.  
"Yeah, I'm a metalbender," he answered calmly with a nod.  
"Would you bend something for me?" Emi asked curiously, tossing the magazine aside and putting all her attention on him. Norio had to laugh.  
"Trying to make me put on a show?" he asked.  
"Yes," Emi responded eagerly. Oh boy.  
"Alright," he said, looking around for something metal to manipulate. There wasn't much to work with but he eventually settled on a few picture frames that hung on the wall. With swift, graceful movements of his hands, the three pictures were removed from the hooks on the wall and were spinning around in mid air, almost dancing. Emi's smile broadened at the prospect.

"Some talent," she remarked, "I wonder... do you think I'm a bender?" she asked. Norio's concentration faltered and nearly dropped the three frames right out of the air. He hadn't been expecting her to ask if _she_ were a bender... In fact, he thought it'd be the furthest thing from her mind. But here she was, all pleasant curiosity.

"Umm..." Norio concentrated on putting the picture frames back on the walls but in the middle of doing so two people entered the waiting room from the back part of the office. One of the two people, was Takara Rin.

"Thanks again Dr. Rin," her latest patient said, before leaving the office. Takara had darker skin and was dressed in modern waterbending garb with her long black hair pulled back into several braids that rested on her shoulders. She was in her early thirties and was still retaining all her northern beauty.

"Redecorating my walls I see," she said with a warm smile. Norio stood quickly to his feet, hastily putting the frames back on the walls before walking over.  
"Dr. Rin," he greeted, "I'm sorry to come at late notice," he stated, coming forward to shake her hand.  
"It isn't a problem, really," she responded sweetly, "I'm glad to have you. I have an hour before my next appointment so what can I help you with?" she inquired. Norio stepped back, motioning Emi forward from her chair.  
"This is Emi. I just recently helped her out from an accident and she's suffering from amnesia. The nurse said it's not permanent and she can remember a few things even now, but I wondered if you might be able to speed up the restorative process?" Norio inquired.

Takara stepped forward, setting a hand out against Emi's forehead and closing her eyes a moment. Emi was slightly surprised but didn't pull back.

"Hmmm," Takara hummed thoughtfully. Norio couldn't tell if that was a good hmm or a bad one. Finally, she pulled her hand back.  
"There is quite a bit of chaos going on in there, but I think with a couple sessions I can clear most of it up," she informed.  
"That's great," Norio said, a mixture of relief and dread cycling through his heart.  
"Well, let's get started," Takara said, gesturing Emi to follow her into a private room.

Norio followed along behind and once in the room took a seat out of the way.

...

Takara had me sit down on a medical bed and lay flat before beginning. Her hands were surprisingly cold when they touched my forehead again but I kept silent.

"What did you say caused the amnesia?" Takara asked, looking over to Norio.  
"Well... a wood ceiling support beam fell down and struck her in the head," he explained. As soon as he answered, a flashback crashed into my mind.

I suddenly saw the falling beam and could nearly feel the impact as it struck me. I flinched and gasped.

"Yes... she recalls that," Takara said gently falling silent for a while as she moved her hands to different sides of my head, to my temples, to in between my eyebrows and then the back of my neck.  
"A lot of chaos... " she murmured again.  
"What's that mean?" I asked, unable to hold back the question.  
"Your fluids aren't flowing properly within your brain. Something is blocking it, but I can't tell exactly what because there is so more movement going on in there than usual. It could be in part to trauma, inner turmoil, and many other emotions that get bottled up," she explained, "Just try to relax,"

I tried to take her advice, but relaxing completely was difficult. I had so many questions swimming about in my mind, so many fears and worries, it was hard to quiet them all down.  
"Have you ever meditated?" Takara asked suddenly. I opened my eyes to look up at her.  
"Would you expect me to remember?" I questioned, cocking a brow.  
"No telling what small fragments of your memory will return first. I thought it was worth a try," Takara shrugged. "Breathe as deeply as you can and focus all your attention on taking air in through your nose, then slowly letting it out of your mouth," she instructed.

We did this for a while and steadily, I could feel myself calming down. I relaxed for a total of two minute before another savage flashback unexpectedly struck. A man with a frightening mask was kicking and punching so fast, all at me! I was ducking and was trying to escape but I was hit hard across the face and then in the gut... I could feel myself flying backwards through the air!

It ended and I jerked instinctually, panting in fright of the vivid images.  
"What..? What was it?" Norio asked in the background.  
"Shh," Takara berated him, continuing to concentrate on whatever she was feeling for inside my head. It was silent for a bit more, but I had a harder time becoming calm again after such a frightening memory. Takara decided to quit after a few more failed attempts at getting me to breath steadily.

"Well, it's progress," Takara said, allowing me to sit back up, "Make an appointment with my secretary and be sure to come back. This is an interesting case," she mused, "I look forward to being all the help I can," she said, smiling at me, then looking to Norio.

"Thank you so much," he said, and we walked out of the room towards the front office. Norio tried to pay but Takara insisted it was a favor she owed him and was happy to do it. After a bit of arguing, Norio finally quit protesting and we headed back to the car.

Once we were both in and on the road, the questions began.

"So, what did you see?" Norio asked.  
"The first time, I saw the beam crashing down on me," I said, recalling the sight with revulsion, "it was so real, I could practically feel it strike my head," I swallowed, "the second image was of a man in an ugly mask. He was moving so fast, kicking, punching and spinning with phenomenal skill and he was attacking me. I took a hit to the face and then my gut and flew backwards... then it ended," I explained, my fists clenching as I stared ahead in torture.  
"Why couldn't I have remembered something less frightening?" I whined.  
"Maybe those memories burned deepest, being that they were both moments of danger, and you would have to be made of steel to not let something like that have a negative impact on you," Norio replied. It made sense, but I still didn't like it.

"I guess so," I sighed, falling silent.  
"Hey, you'll be alright. I promise, nothing more is going to hurt you," Norio said, surprising me when he reached over and pat my shoulder. I looked over at him and couldn't help but feel comforted with that winning smile of his shining back at me. I felt safe around him, and it was good to know someone cared about me in this time of extreme vulnerability.

We arrived to his apartment soon enough and I was surprised to see how small it was. Being a police officer, I suppose I expected him to have a bit more of a bigger, extravagant place. Norio parked the car and leapt out to come around and open my door.  
"Home sweet home," he said gesturing to the top floor of the apartment building.  
"It doesn't look like much from down here, but just you wait till we get inside," he promised with a wink. I grinned and followed him up the nearest case of stairs until we reached his door and he opened it using some of his metalbending magic. Stepping aside, he allowed me first entrance.

The place was by no means shabby, and though it didn't possess much floor space, the huge windows that lined the walls let in the most brilliantly bright sunlight, along with a nice view of the city below in the distance. It didn't feel as small now.

"Wow..." I said appraisingly.  
"It's nothing too fancy, but I don't like over spending my money. Don't really need a pent house when it's just me that goes in and out," Norio commented. I continued to look around, noting the radio sitting on a window ledge, the comfortable looking couch and the rug that lay in front of it, the small kitchen with wall cupboards and the bedroom in the back just past the couch.

"Since you're a lady, you will have the bedroom," he offered, now moving towards it. I followed, not sure I should accept.  
"I don't need to take _your_ bedroom. The couch will be fine," I protested.  
"Yes, it will be just fine for _me_," Norio responded, "I want to make sure you have the space you need," he insisted. I sighed.  
"As long as you're sure,"  
"I am," he smiled, "The bathroom is in the bedroom though, so I'll be sure to knock before I ever enter," he promised. I had no doubt he would be a gentleman about such things and therefore wasn't worried about privacy.

"I'm on leave from work for a few days... due to... having just got off a rather intense mission," he explained, "So I'm all yours for the rest of the night,"  
I looked at him and smiled.

"Not _that_ way of course.." he paled, "I just meant.. I'm here to talk and do whatever you want.. uh, well not _whatever_ you want... of course there are limitations," he fumbled, suddenly incredibly embarrassed and in clear need of rescue.

"I get it," I replied in amusement, "No worries," I assured.

Norio laughed nervously.

"Okay... good. So... food!" he said, now turning towards the kitchen and rushing off. I bit my lip and followed him curiously.  
"I have fruit, vegetables... what's mine is yours," he offered, setting out a bowl of mixed fruits on the counter.  
"Thanks," I was kind of hungry and tentatively reached for the nearest apple hybrid. When I took a bite it tasted absolutely wonderful, like a flood of delight rushing through my mouth. Norio cleared his throat.

"Alright, well, I know you've been holding them in. What are you're questions?"

* * *

_Good? No good? Was the read worth it? Will you be coming back? Please leave some reviews and let me know! :D _

_(As a side note, if you're wondering why this story has been refreshed, it's because I went through and fixed a couple spelling errors, sentence structures, and spaced the paragraphs better for your reading convenience! Thanks again!) _


	10. Answers

_Equalist Redemption Headquarters, within the Redeemer's Office_ _on the previous day..._

"Sir, we're not really going to just let the firebending girl go are we?" Bingwen inquired, standing carefully with his hands placed behind his back.  
"I'm a man of my word. Of course I'll let the child go," the Redeemer replied pleasantly, "I will regret loosing her, but if the need arrises, we have the resources to capture her again. Enough of her and the metalbender's blood samples has been taken to last us a good while through the experimental stage," he announced calmly from where he stood looking over the blood in question with a microscope.  
"And who will you be testing on during this _experimental_ stage?" Bingwen inquired. Bingwen was a good man, but he was no scientist, and incredibly nosey. The Redeemer preferred to not be pestered with so many questions when he was busy, especially when Bingwen knowing the answers to said questions was hardly essential.

"If you're so interested, I'll be sure to write you down on my list of volunteers," the Redeemer replied with pointed gaze over his shoulder towards the bothersome man. At that, Bingwen paled and cleared his throat awkwardly.  
"Oh, no, no sir. I'm not _that_ brave... not yet anyway. I was just curious," he back tracked hastily. The Redeemer smiled lightly in amusement and stood up from his microscope.  
"I'll do what any good man of science does, and brave the consequences myself by being the first to take the formula. After all, I invented it, and though Viper is a loyal, courageous man, I won't subject him to any further testing at this point. I don't know what mixing bender genes with those of the animal ones already in him would do," the Redeemer stated, removing his gloves and staring at the vial of concoction he'd been working on in anticipation.  
"Sir, are you sure testing on yourself is the wisest choice? If something bad were to happen, we would be leaderless," Bingwen pointed out. That was when Viper walked into the room to casually stand in a corner, arms folded.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that almost sounded like you were _questioning_ me..." the Redeemer remarked, his tone low and dark as he turned to face Bingwen full on.  
"N-n-no! Of course not! Just asking a question," Bingwen replied swiftly, fumbling from the fear of the intimidating gaze being fixed on him.  
"I know what I'm doing," the Redeemer said coldly, "I've been studying this field of genealogy ever since I could read. My whole life has led me to this moment in time... and I'm not about to miss the chance of being the _first_ non-bender successfully turned to a bender," he continued stiffly.  
"Certainly, and you have every right," Bingwen nodded exuberantly.  
"Yes... I do," the Redeemer responded then turned to Viper.

"How are the bomb boarders holding up? Any police tried to interfere with our barricades yet?"  
"No sssir," Viper replied, his voice coming out in an unnatural hiss, "the boardersss hold ssstrong,"  
"Very good. I'll need every ounce of cooperation from the outsiders as well as insiders, for my plan to work. I'd rather not have to bomb anybody and as it is, five days isn't a long time. We must utilize every minute," he stated. Viper nodded in agreement. Bingwen just shuffled his feet.  
"How long until your speech to the city sir?"  
"I'm nearly prepared to introduce myself and my dream to the people. Before the end of the five days, we'll have the entirety of the tunnel network on our side, one way, or another..." he boasted proudly with a sly smile. That was when the ground suddenly began to rumble.

The three men paused, not moving an inch as the tremor continued on.  
"An earthquake!" Bingwen panicked, stumbling backwards and flattening himself against the office door.  
"How very perceptive," the Redeemer grunted. When it did not die down, instead growing even stronger, the Redeemer turned a pointed glare towards Viper. There hadn't been any records of earthquakes in this city since it was established and as a whole, they were extremely rare. The only explanation to draw was the minor suspicion that the ground was being influenced. And he could guess how.  
"The prisoner," the Redeemer growled out. He stormed forward amidst the shaking to shove Bingwen roughly out of the way and yank open the office door. Viper followed.

The shaking only grew more intense as the Redeemer stumbled his way clumsily through the warehouse and down into the next set of halls that led to the prisoner cells, shoving people out of his way as he went. Viper stayed just behind him, keeping steadier feet, as his unnatural genes helped him to maintain better balance, and easily flipped off the side of walls, dodging people in his way with amazing agility. The earthquake was viciously harsh, and was only getting harder. Walls above could be heard cracking, and many of the troops and people the Redeemer passed were shouting and fumbling around in fear. They turned into another hall and ran into only the first set of stairs they'd need to descend on the way to their destination. It was around this time that the Redeemer honestly wondered why the prisoner cell blocks have to be so ridiculously far away from his main office?

By the time they arrived, the quake had died down. The Redeemer thundered down the last set of stairs into the cell area and was astounded at the sight that met his eyes. The entire wooden structure of the room was splintered and destroyed. Beams lay crashed onto the floor and the wooden cell bars were broken completely in half. The walls were still up, but the roof was smashed apart. In short, the prison was destroyed with no sign of the guard Emi, or the prisoner Captain Norio. The Redeemer's eyes narrowed at the change circumstances. He stood, panting and recouping from the shock of it all before turning to look back at Viper.  
"Search the debris for any sign of the prisoner or Emi," the Redeemer ordered, "I want to be certain they are not here,"  
Viper nodded and got to work.

Meanwhile, the Redeemer left to consider what this turn of events meant for the Equalist Redeemers. Not only had that brainless metalbending police captain ruined his perfectly constructed cell holding area, but surely the damage outside from the street would bring tons of attention to the laboratory! The Redeemer turned upstairs hastily, needing to prepare himself and his men up at the front for all the civilians that would gather after sight of the damages. Speaking of which, what other damages had taken place during the earthquake? His DNA, all his work? He kept it securely guarded but had it survived the abrupt shaking? He hurried on even faster now. Anger boiled in his blood when he reached his office and found Bingwen inside, sweeping up pieces of glass and red liquid from off the floor.

"How much was damaged?" the Redeemer questioned anxiously, taking in the sight of his disheveled office.  
"I managed to save nearly all of it. The glass vials that fell were mostly empty," Bingwen assured him. That was a relief, but when the Redeemer glanced over his work to see what was missing, he wasn't happy. Bingwen was right about most remaining in tact, but the lined up vials which had held the earthbending captain's blood were splashed onto the floor. Stooping down, The Redeemer saved as much of it as it could, but by the time he was finished the supply had significantly lessened. Just his luck!

The metalbender had been more powerful than he'd calculated, but the Redeemer wouldn't make the same mistake again. In fact, the magnitude of the police bender's advanced abilities fascinated the Redeemer, and made him even more eager to experience such power for himself... There was enough left of Norio's blood to formulate a couple short-term dosages. In order to collect more, the officer would need to be re-captured; an inconvenience. Good thing the Redeemer had not yet let the little firebender girl go free. She may prove to be useful in the very near future...

...

_Captain Norio's Apartment, present time..._

"How did you find me? What kind of trouble was I in? How did I get in it?"

The questions all spilled from my mouth before I could prevent them from coming out in such a rush. But I was desperate! Norio had asked what it was I wanted to know, and I was going to tell him!

"Alright, alright," he said, holding his hand up, "First things first. You probably won't like most of my answers, because the truth is... I don't like them myself... but I understand your enthusiasm to learn all you can and I will do my best to answer in the most gentle way I can," he promised. I wondered at his words, and felt a small sense of impending doom, but ventured on.

"Okay," I swallowed.  
"Okay," he repeated, "In order to answer all of your questions, I best start from the beginning," he said. I bit off a piece from the fruit in my hand and nodded. In my opinion Norio was beginng to look a bit nervous, but after a shaky breath, he began.

"You work for an organization in which the police were investigating. They sent me in to follow you and... things didn't go so well. I had to get out of a decidedly difficult situation, and in the carnage, you were struck. I saw you had been hit, and made it my business to personally retreive you and bring you to the hospital," he explained, staring at me the whole time with very anxiou eyes. I could tell a lot of his worry depended on how I would react. To me, none of it sounded familiar, or rang any bells. I couldn't even feel a proper emotion to the words being spoken. It was just... blank. I said as much.

"I don't recall any of it, but I have a couple more questions now," I admitted. He licked his lips and nodded.  
"What kind of organization was I working for that deserves the attention of the police?" I inquired, narrowing my eyes in concern.  
"Ah yes... well," Norio cleared his throat and tugged at his shirt's neck coller, "It's... not really that important for you to know right now. I think it best that you remember on your own. If I tell you, it just won't be the same as when you remember yourself," he replied. I frowned.

"It can't be _that_ bad," I pouted.  
"It's... I'm not going to say anything. I want you to remember on your own, okay?" Norio responded, turning away to the other side of the kitchen to start pulling out a few plates. Frustration and anger sparked inside my heart. He was the only with with some of the answers from my past, and despite what he had told me, he was hardly giving me ANYTHING!

"_No_, not okay. I want to know!" I demanded, "Is it some sort of gang? Am I a thief? A murdurer?" I questioned, my heart beat quickening at the horrifying possibilities.  
"No! No, you're not a thief. At least I'm pretty sure you're not. And you're not a murderer, as far as I know..." Norio replied hastily.  
"I don't feel very assured!" I informed.  
"Look, you'll remember in time, okay? Just leave it alone," Norio commanded. I was about to protest further when Norio's telephone suddenly rang. He sent me a swift glance but then stepped over and answered it.

...

"This is Norio Shimane," he answered, lingering anxiety still breaking through his voice. Emi was angry at him, and he probaly deserved it. After all, she'd gone through a whole lot and not knowing your past was a pretty frightening thing. But he just didn't have the heart to tell her that she was a part of a very dangerous gang and that the only reason he'd captured her was in hopes that he could extract some information from her. Being _that_ honest would ruin everything. All these thoughts running wild in his head all subsided when the person spoke on the other end of the telephone.

"Norio, this is Goro," responded the fellow police captain, "I know you are currently on leave, but my daughter has gone missing,"  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that sir," Norio blinked in surprise, "What can I do?"  
"I know you walk downtown a lot, perhaps you may see her," Goro answered shakily. Clearly, the man was drenched with worry. Norio couldn't blame him. However, the fact that a captian of the metalbending police should find his daughter missing did seem rather odd. Norio considered the possibilities. A kidnap for ransom? A kidnap for.. revenge? Goro wasn't exactly the nicest, nor most merciful man when dealing with the thugs he imprisoned... Norio wouldn't be surprised if the older, grumpy man had quite an ellaborate set of enemies.  
"Yes, of course I'll keep an eye out. What does she look like?" he answered after a moment.  
"I have a picture of her in my office," Goro replied, "You may have seen it. She's 10 years old,"

Norio moved hastily out of the kitchen, skirting past Emi, who had her hands on her hips, and over to his desk where he grabbed a note pad and flipped it open. As Captain Goro continued speaking, Norio dipped the pen into some ink and began to write.  
"She's rather thin, has a few freckles, stands at 4'3", has red hair-"  
Norio blinked, pausing from his writing.  
"Wait-red?"  
"I know, it's not common," Goro replied, "When she was very young, back when my family and I lived in the fire nation, she was a very sickly thing with a rare condition. The doctors we went to recomended a certain plant within the fire nation boarders, which we collected and brought in to have crushed for her to drink. The result of ingesting the plant on a regular basis saved her life, even strengthening her beyond what was average. It also turned her hair red," Captain Goro explained.

Norio was in utter shock. It couldn't have been a cooincidence for two 10 year old red head girls to be running around in Republic City. Norio felt instantly ashamed that he had not thought about Misaki until just now. Had the Redeemer even let her go? What would Captain Goro do if he found out that his little girl had been not only skipping school, but aiding in dangerous police business?! Not only that, but had been captured! In all honesty, Norio didn't look forward to finding out, but what else could he do? He swallowed.

"I've seen your daughter," he confessed.  
"You have!?" Goro sounded all too eager, which made the next task even harder, "Where? Where was she?"  
"If I had known she was your daughter sir, I would have sent her up and out of that place right away," Norio blurted.  
"What?! What place?" Goro barked.  
"She was down in the tunnels and I ran into her during my investigation," Norio replied steadily. That was all Norio had the nerve to share. No way would he go right ahead and tell Goro that his little Misaki had been captured by the very enemy the police were fighting to subdue!

"What?!" Goro was in complete shock, and roared into the phone so loud, Norio had to tip it away a moment to avoid ear damage.  
"If she is still missing, I believe she may still be down there..." Norio finished with a grimace.  
"This... this can't be happening," Goro said, completely flustered.  
"I'm so sorry sir. However, there is a chance I could be wrong. I'll still keep an eye out for her in the city. There's a possibility she might have escaped... She's crafty like that," Norio encouraged.  
"Why was she not mentioned on your official report?" Goro barked and Norio closed his eyes.  
"I did not think the sighting of a red headed girl was something I should document," he replied calmly.

_Nor did I think saying I'd allowed a 10 year old girl to get captured with me was very promising on my record..._ he admitted to himself grudgingly.

"Well, then, thank you for this information. The Ms.'s will now be granted a ligatiment reason to have a heart attack. Goodbye,"  
And Goro promptly hung up. _That_ went well. Norio sighed and set the phone back down. He couldn't believe Misaki was still missing. The poor little girl. Norio ran a hand down his face.

"What's wrong?" Emi asked. She came across the room, and Norio figured there was no harm in sharing a little bit.  
"One of the police officer's daughter is missing, and I saw her yesterday down in the tunnel network shortly before I encountered trouble. I think she's still down there," he explained. Emi frowned.  
"And you can't get to her down there?" she inquired.  
"They've been sealed off by a gang for unknown reasons," Norio answered, "However, the gang gave a time limit of 5 days before they would release their captives. Today is the fourth which leaves only, three more days. Their motives concerning the temporary imprisonment of the low life civilians, are completely uncertain. I didn't learn enough before pulling out on my mission. But as long as the little girl keeps her head low and has a good sense of how to keep from danger, she should be fine," Norio replied assuredly.  
"She'll be just fine..." he repeated, wondering if he was speaking more to sooth Emi... or himself?

Emi's frown deepend but she stayed silent. Norio continued after a long moment.  
"There is still a chance she might have escaped though. I'm not positive. None the less, let's go down into town and look around," he suggested, standing up from his chair to go for his coat. Emi followed and they both left the appartment in a rush.

* * *

_This chapter was a bit late in coming, but I'm glad to finally have it done! The pieces are all coming together and since there are only going to be 5 more chapters to this story (unless I change my mind) I'm glad to say the plot has been finalized in my head!_

_ I hope you readers are good enough to review and tell me what you think! I've gotten very few so far, but that's understandable since the characters I'm using are practically all OCs. Still, if you're enjoying this, don't hesitate to let me know! Reviews keep me going! :D _


End file.
